Fetish Khmer elephant statues - Cambodia

Elephants were fetish animals for Khmer Kings. Apart from the magnificent Elephant Terrace with bas-relief representing around one hundred silhouettes of pachyderms, nearly all the temples of Angkor Wat include statues of this animal, which is still used in certain regions to transport people and merchandise. This one, reproduced on one of the terraces of the temple of Bakong, has become the favourite playground for children from the nearby village and the monk school installed within the temple. Alas, as a result, a great number of the statues have been destroyed or broken. Not to mention those that have literally been stolen. A programme of restoration has been put into place to bring the most beautiful ones back to their former glory.