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PHOTO CAPTION                           P49581ac
                                        February 12, 1998
                                        Lintel

The central figure of this decorative lintel shows the Hindu god 
Indra on his elephant mount Erawan. Indra is often depicted on 
Khmer lintels because of  his ability to bring rain. This is 
important in Cambodia, where the monsoon months of May through 
October are usually followed by five to six months of dry weather 
with no rain. This lintel is part of a group of  temple ruins on 
a mound adjacent to the Cambodian site of Angkor Wat that have 
been enveloped by the forest.

(Photograph courtesy of Dr. Elizabeth Moore, Department of Art 
and Archaeology, School of Oriental and African Studies, 
University of London.) 

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