18-Arm Yama - Angkor, Cambodia
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denben
N 13° 24.701 E 103° 52.038
48P E 377366 N 1482943
This bas relief depicting the Judgement of Yama is situated in the south gallery (east section) of the legendary Angkor Wat.
Waymark Code: WMECE4
Location: Cambodia
Date Posted: 05/07/2012
Views: 6
Built between 1113 and 1150, the principal temple of the Angkorian region, Angkor Wat, has remained a significant religious center since its foundation – first Hindu, dedicated to the god Vishnu, then Buddhist.
Judgement of Yama Gallery is a panel of bas-relief on the southeast section of Angkor Wat. The theme of the Judgement of Yama gallery is the judgement of the souls, whether they are sent to heaven or to hell. The panel is 60 meters long, and shows Yama, the God of the dead, sitting on a buffalo, assisted by his two assessors, Dharma and Sitragupta.
In Hinduism, Yama is the god of death, belonging to an early stratum of Vedic mythology. In the Vedas, Yama is said to have been the first mortal who died. By virtue of precedence, he became the ruler of the departed. Yama subsequently entered Buddhist, Chinese, Tibetan, Korean, and Japanese mythology as a wrathful god under various transliterations.
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