Description
An image of Hevajra dancing on a corpse is shown in relief on the front panel, supported by a tripod of snake heads (nagas).
This bronze conch (unique to Khmer culture) imitates the shell of a tropical water mollusk that had long served as a ritual water vessel for Hindu and Buddhist sects. It was used for pouring ritual libations of holy water during religious ceremonies. Primarily associated with the Hindu god Vishnu, the conch was used in both Hindu and Buddhist rituals in 12th and 13th century Cambodia when a unique theology, incorporating various beliefs, developed as a result of the last of the great Hindu god- kings, Jayavarman VII, converting to Buddhism.
