Vahanas

Each Vedic god is associated with a vahana, the animal on which he is represented seated.

Also referred to as vehicles or mounts, their presence helped scholars to identify which gods were depicted on Angkor temples when the divinities themselves did not present distinctive features.

Vahanas possess supernatural powers and assist their god in their battles against demons.  This is particularly the case of Garuda, Vishnu’s combative vahana.

The vahanas most represented in Angkor are Garuda, Indra's Airavata and Shiva’s Nandi.  A statue of Nandi is usually found facing the central sanctuary where his god, Shiva is worshipped.