PHNOM PENH, March 10 (Xinhua) -- Archeologists have found a centuries-old body of Buddha statue during the second excavation at Ta Prohm Temple in northwest Cambodia's famed Angkor Archaeological Park, the APSARA National Authority (ANA) said in a news release on Monday.

Archaeologist Neth Simon said the second excavation, conducted in February by the ANA in collaboration with the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI), had yielded significant archaeological findings, including the body of a Buddha statue.

She said the excavation was made at an area outside the laterite enclosure northeast of the temple's third gallery.

"Among the discoveries was a Buddha statue represented in the Bayon style, which was missing its head, feet, and right hand," Simon said. "This statue stands 1.16 meters tall and has a shoulder width of 56 centimeters."

She said notably, the statue was adorned with jewelry and featured a robe and veil, with a unique left-hand gesture placed on the chest, an uncommon representation in Khmer art.

Simon said that the archaeologists identified that the body of the Buddha statue matched with previously excavated pieces of a hand and a foot, both found during the first excavation in July 2024.

She added that, the head of the Buddha statue, which was discovered in 1927 and is currently housed at the Angkor Conservation, was scanned and compared with the newly found body.

"This comparison allowed for a near-complete reassembly of the statue, with only the right hand still missing," she said.

Simon said these excavations aimed to organize and preserve the numerous art objects scattered throughout the Ta Prohm Temple complex.

Built in the late 12th century under the reign of King Jayavarman VII, Ta Prohm is among the key temples in the UNESCO-listed Angkor Archaeological Park, which is the most popular tourist destination in the Southeast Asian nation.

Located in Siem Reap province, the 401-square km park is home to 91 ancient temples, which had been built from the ninth to the 13th centuries.

The ancient site attracted 1.02 million international tourists in 2024, generating a gross revenue of 47.8 million U.S. dollars from ticket sales, according to the state-owned Angkor Enterprise. Enditem

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