Lions & Nagas

Lions (simha in Thai) guard the outer temple entrances.

 
Nagas are snakes with many heads, they wear crowns and have sharp teeth. The people believed that snakes acted as conduits to the land of the gods (something like a time tunnel), so snakes always line the bridges their bodies acting as banisters, because the temples are the home of the gods.

sharp teeth on a Naga at Phnom Rung

sides and back of a naga lining the staircase at Phnom Rung
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