Siem Reap: A Buddha statue, preserved at the Angkor Conservation since the French colonial period, has been unearthed during ongoing excavations at Ta Prohm Temple in Siem Reap province.

According to Agence Kampuchea Presse, the recent excavations at Ta Prohm Temple have provided significant archaeological findings, including a Bayon-style Buddha statue, which was missing its head, feet, and right hand. The statue stands 1.16 meters tall with a shoulder width of 56 centimeters. It is adorned with jewelry and features a robe and veil, with a unique left-hand gesture placed on the chest, which is an uncommon representation in Khmer art.

Archaeologist Ms. Neth Simon reported that the body of the Buddha statue was registered as No. 294. During the excavations, the team identified that this body matched previously excavated pieces: the hand registered as No. 292 and the foot registered as No. 168, both found during the first phase of excavations in July 2024.

Additionally, the head of the Buddha statue, discovered in 1927 and currently housed at the Angkor Conservation under registration number DCA.6883-N139, was scanned and compared with the newly found body. This comparison allowed for a near-complete reassembly of the statue, with only the right hand still missing.

Conducted by the APSARA National Authority in collaboration with the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI), the second phase of excavations took place in February 2025, focusing on an area outside the laterite enclosure northeast of the temple’s third gallery.

‘These excavations aim to organise and preserve the numerous art objects scattered throughout the Ta Prohm complex, highlighting the ongoing efforts to protect and understand Cambodia’s rich cultural heritage,’ underlined the APSARA National Authority.