As in Heaven, So on Earth: The Politics of Visnu, Śiva and Harihara Images in Preangkorian Khmer Civilisation

Abstract

Analysis of the earliest sculpture and epigraphy of Southeast Asia reveals contrasting geographic patterns regarding the worship of Hindu deities. During the seventh century, efforts to consolidate political authority by Khmer rulers led to the deployment of Harihara, a god that embodied multiple conceptions of power and could serve as a ready statement of political and religious unification.