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Bust of Hevajra

late 12th–early 13th century
On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 249
This colossal bust of the Esoteric Buddhist god Hevajra comes from the ruins of the ancient site of Angkor in northwestern Cambodia. It is said to have been found near the East Gate (the Gate of the Dead) of the great walled city of Angkor Thom, built by Jayavarman VII (r. 1181–1219). The Bayon, sited at the very center of Angkor Thom, was one of the last major monuments of the Khmer empire.

This sculpture is fragmentary. The top head is missing. If the sculpture was, in fact, intended to represent the dancing Hevajra, it would have had eight arms on each side. Quite a few small bronze sculptures confirm this depiction. To judge from the rough surface of parts of this sculpture, it was never completed.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Bust of Hevajra
  • Period: Angkor period
  • Date: late 12th–early 13th century
  • Culture: Cambodia
  • Medium: Stone
  • Dimensions: H. 52 in. (132.1 cm); W. 29 in. (73.7 cm)
  • Classification: Sculpture
  • Credit Line: Fletcher Fund, 1936
  • Object Number: 36.96.4
  • Curatorial Department: Asian Art

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Pillar Fragment with Dancing Apsaras, Stone, Cambodia
Pillar Fragment with Dancing Apsaras
Cambodia
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Kneeling Female Deity, Bronze, Cambodia or Thailand
Kneeling Female Deity
Cambodia or Thailand
second half of the 12th century
Shiva as Mrityunjaya, the Conquerer of Death, Black stone, Bangladesh or India (Bengal)
Shiva as Mrityunjaya, the Conquerer of Death
Bangladesh or India (Bengal)
12th century
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first quarter of the 12th century

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