Deity Heads Returned to Angkor Thom Victory Gate After Centuries Away

PHNOM PENH — Oct. 2, 2026: Two deity statue heads have been reattached at the Victory Gate of Angkor Thom, as Cambodia continues a campaign to return lost sculptures to their original sites.

The Oct. 1, 2026, ceremony was presided over by H.E. Dr. Phoeurng Sackona, Minister of Culture and Fine Arts and President of the APSARA National Authority board, with UNESCO Representative Mr. Flavio Bonetti and U.S. Embassy Public Affairs Officer Ms. Katherine Diop among the guests.

Dr. Sackona said the Victory Gate was a ceremonial site where Khmer kings held coronation rituals and departed for military campaigns. Restoring the sculptures, she said, enhances the site and restores Cambodia's heritage for future generations.

Photo: អាជ្ញាធរជាតិអប្សរា Apsara National Authority

The gate is lined with 108 devas and asuras depicting the Churning of the Ocean of Milk. Many heads were lost over centuries of conflict, scattered across Cambodia and abroad, but have been recovered through excavations, museum transfers and repatriation with support from UNESCO, France, Japan and the United States. Only three heads remain in museums abroad.

Mr. Bonetti called the ceremony an act of respect for Khmer culture, citing UNESCO's work with APSARA through ICC-Angkor since 1993. Ms. Diop noted that roughly 900 Cambodian artifacts have been repatriated under the two countries' cultural property agreement.

Source: APSARA National Authority


Reported by The Khmer Daily Network