fig. 1

fig. 2

fig. 3

fig. 4

A Gallery of Devatas

Ta Som, Angkor

Here are some of the beautiful devatas (minor female divinities) that are carved on the walls and beside the doors of Ta Som. A devata's costume and headdress are, oddly, less elaborate than the lower-ranking apsarasas. Some of their characteristic postures include: displaying a long-stemmed flower (fig. 1,2); combing out her hair (fig. 3); and cradling a bird in her hand (fig. 1,4).