A line of 54 grimacing 'asuras' (or demons) line the right hand side of the southern bridge which ...

A line of 54 grimacing 'asuras' (or demons) line the right hand side of the southern bridge which crosses a 100 metre wide moat surrounding the late twelfth century State Temple complex of Angkor Thom, built by King Jayavarman VII. Each demon grasps in his arms the long body of the 'naga', a Buddhist symbol of wisdom and justice traditionally represented as a seven headed cobra. On the left side of the bridge, a line of 54 gods similarly pulls on another 'naga' snake (see P03258.304). They form a 'naga' bridge, linking the world of men to that of the gods, while the gods and demons pull on the snake to 'churn the sea of milk' - a reference to the creation of the water of life. In the background, two people approach the 23 metre high triple towered gate which carries four faces, believed to be that of Jayavarman VII surveying the four corners of his empire. The causeway then continues into the main quadrangle of the Angkor Thom complex. With the arrival of the United Nations Transitional Authority in Cambodia (UNTAC), and after years of neglect during and after the Khmer Rouge regime, restoration projects were restarted on this and the other temple complexes of Angkor, with much of the work funded internationally by UNESCO and countries including Australia, Japan and India.