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Garuda and Rider

This is a close-up of the decoration on a gable of Wat Ratchaburana. The Garuda is the mythical King of the Birds. In ancient Khmer art, Vishnu (the Hindu preserver) always rode on the Garuda and was usually shown with four arms holding a conch shell, a ball representing the Earth, a club and a discus. This image on a relatively modern Buddhist temple is the same except for its trident in place of a ball.