A seven-headed serpent or “naga” forms a stone balustrade beside a walkway leading into a building at Angkor Wat. The naga, literally “serpent” in Sanskrit, represents power, water, and fertility in many Hindu texts. Khmer adopted the Hindu Indian myths and elaborated on them extensively in their own stories, rituals, and art. Using the naga body as a stone balustrade is called a Khmer invention although stone dragon balustrades also are seen in Chinese architecture.

This object is part of "Scan The World". Scan the World is a non-profit initiative introduced by MyMiniFactory, through which we are creating a digital archive of fully 3D printable sculptures, artworks and landmarks from across the globe for the public to access for free. Scan the World is an open source, community effort, if you have interesting items around you and would like to contribute, email stw@myminifactory.com to find out how you can help.