This is a sandstone Harihara. It originated from Trapeang Phong temple, Rolous region, Siem Reap Province. Initially, Louis Finot, who was the director of the French School of the Far East, took it to exhibit at a museum in Hanoi, which was then part of the Associated Indochina Museums.
In 1955, the work was returned to Cambodia, work entered the collection of the National Museum of Cambodia. This work has cost the great deal of the debate among researchers about the evolution of Khmer art, due to the fact that it is created by using the kind of stone that was popularly used during the reign of King Jayavaraman VII. One hypothesis suggests it is adaptation from ancient earlier style. Harihara is the fusion of two deities of Hinduism.
Hari, who represent Vishnu, and Hara, who represent Shiva. On the left is Vishnu, recognized by the high crown, and on the right is Shiva, recognized by the third eye in the middle of forehead and braided chignon. It’s rare to see a sculpture that has a horseshoe-like arch as a support, and it is even rarer to find it almost intact.
Most of the attributes of this statue remain as compared to other statues. Vishnu is holding three attributes: a conch symbolizing life in his rear left hand, a club symbolizing knowledge in his front left hand, and a round object symbolizing earth in his front right hand. As a Shiva, he is holding only one object, which a trident with three pointed ends. On Vishnu’s head, the hair was sculpted into a unified whole, to differ from that a Shiva, which is recognize by the treasure of carving left by the artists. The forehead of Shiva has a crescent form, which is half of his third eye. The figure has an oval face, white chin, and slim body that rather stiff in posture.
Harihara appear highly popular in Khmer society between the 8th and 9th centuries. Some researchers conclude that he was used as a symbol to unify society after years of disunity and disintegration.