TALES OF KRISHNA

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TALES OF KRISHNAS CHILDHOOD
GOPAS AND THEIR COWS
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BABY KRISHNA DRAGGING THE HEAVY MORTAR
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KRISHNA DEFEATING TWO ASURAS
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KRISHNA KILLING A DEMON
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KRISHNA ON GARUDA
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ANIRUDDHA BOUND BY BANAS SNAKE ROPES. Central
door of the southern gopura. 3RD ENCLOSURE
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KRISHNA FIGHTING BANA TO RESCUE HIS
GRANDSON. Central door of the northern gopura.
3rd enclosure
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DEVAS versus ASURASDEVAS versus ASURASS versus
ASURA
DEVAS VERSUS ASURAS
KRISHNA ON GARUDA FIGHTS THE ASURA BANA
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KRISHNA LIFTING MOUNT GOVARDHANA
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KRISHNA LIFTING MOUNT GOVARDANA
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KRISHNA AND BALARAMA
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KRISHNA KILLING CANURA AND MUSHTIKA
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KRISHNA KILLING KAMSA
ANGKOR WAT
BANTEAY SREI
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NORTH LIBRARY EAST PEDIMENT, ANGKOR WAT.
EPISODE FROM MAHABHARATA . INDRA TRIES TO PUT
OUT A FIRE IN THE KHANDAVA FOREST BY SENDING
RAIN. KRISHNAS ARROWS PREVENT THE WATER
REACHING THE GROUND
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VISHNU IN HIS HORSE INCARNATION AS
HAYAGRIVA HOLDS THE HEADS OF THE DEMONS MADHU AND
KAITABHA. West lintel of the inner entrance
pavilion
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VISHWAROOPA, ANGKOR WAT
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VISHWAROOPA, PRASAT KRAVAN
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MULTI-FACED IMAGES, BAYON, ANGKOR THOM
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WHO IS THE 4-FACED FIGURE OF ANGKOR THOM?

• JAYAVARMAN? PROBABLY, IN ORDER TO BE IDENTIFIED
  WITH
• BRAHMA? Unlikely. No stories or attributes of
  the Creator are associated with the 4 faces.
• SHIVA? Likely, because Bayon was a Shiva
  temple, but no other Shaivite attributes.
• BUDDHA LOKESHVARA? Likely, because Jayavarman
  became a Buddhist, but no Buddhist attributes.
• VISHNU? Most likely, because

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THE 4-FACES TOP MOUNT MERU, WHICH MAKES UP THE 5
GATES OF ANGKOR THOM. IN THE STORY OF THE
SAMUDRA MANTHANA, MERU IS THE CHURNING STICK. IT
IS THE STORY OF VISHNUS KURMA AVATARA
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THE 4-FACED MERU IS FLANKED BY THE DEVAS AND
ASURAS PULLING THE 7-HEADED SNAKE ROPE VASUKI
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IN ANGKOR WAT AND ALL RELIEFS OF THE SAMUDRA
MANTHANA, VISHNU STANDS ABOVE THE TORTOISE KURMA,
WHO IS THE CHURNING STICK
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4- FACED HEADS MOST LIKELY TO BELONG TO VISHNU

• IN THE WAR WITH BANA, KRISHNA HAS MANY FACES AND
  HEADS
• ON THE WALLS OF THE BAYON IN ANGKOR THOM, THERE
  ARE SCENES OF A 4-FACED, MULTI-HEADED VISHNU
  STEALING THE AMRITA DURING THE SAMUDRA MANTHANA.
• THE CULT OF VISHNU HAD OBVIOUSLY ATTAINED GREAT
  INFLUENCE THAT KINGS IDENTIFIED WITH HIM.

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• THE MAHABHARATA REACHED ENORMOUS POPULARITY IN
  SOUTH EAST ASIA. IT BECAME LARGER THAN LIFE
• EVEN TODAY, THE CITY CENTRES OF JAKARTA, CAPITAL
  OF INDONESIA, AND BALI HAVE A HUGE SCULPTURE OF
  THE BHAGAVAD GITA.
• DANCE, DRAMAS AND PUPPET SHOWS ON THE MAHABHARATA
  KEEP THE STORY ALIVE AS AN EXAMPLE OF GOOD
  BEHAVIOUR

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ARJUNA VIJAYA - BALI
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ARJUNA VIJAYA - JAKARTA