Although it cannot be ascertained because of the lack of epigraphic proofs, it might well be one of his avatara (“descent” in Sanskrit): Hayagriva (“The one who has a horse’s neck”) or again Kalki (a name difficult to translate but that evokes the idea of destruction of evil).
As Hayagriva, Vishnu brought down two demons who were seeking to steal the Veda, thus depriving creation of its religious foundations; and in the guise of Kalki – an incarnation not yet achieved – Vishnu will manifest himself at the end of the cosmic Age, in which we happen to be, in order to destroy the worlds so as to restore their purity and set off again the process of creation on healthy spiritual foundations.
The curious association of a horse’s head and a human body, an unreal but convincing expression of the abnormal character of the divine principle, endows this sculpture with a special intensity.
Discovered on the pre-Angkor site of Sambor Prei Kuk, this work from the reign of Rajendravarman (944-967) attests the everlasting character of the religious foundations of ancient Cambodia, in which over the centuries many images were consecrated.
Here the slightly uneven handling of the folds of the costume offers a striking contrast with the perfection of the modelling of the head and torso. The Pre Rup decorative style is shown here in the highly elaborated fashioning of the diadem and the chignon-cover, as well as in the intriguing detail of the ears that look like small curled up leaves.
