ANGKOR ASURAS
DEMON-TITANS OF THE KHMER KINGDOM

At the gates of Angkor, travelers encounter strange figures frozen in stone: powerful faces, tense torsos, hands clutching enormous snakes. These are the asuras, ancient demons from Cambodian mythology, sculpted by the Khmer people with equal parts respect and fear. Born from the depths of time, these beings are not pure evil, but reflections of the primitive force of the world, which opposes, complements, and sometimes saves.

Asuras are a type of demon often found in Indian religions. They are described as entities hungry for power, generally related to the more benevolent gods (devas) in Hinduism. In the Buddhist context, asura can be translated as “titan.”

Asuras pull with all their might on the tail of the serpent Vasuki, while opposite them, the devas hold its head. Together, they spin Mount Meru to churn the primordial sea, seeking to extract the elixir of immortality. The ocean boils, the worlds merge, and from the waves of chaos emerge the treasures of creation. This struggle between gods and demons is not a war, but a vital tension: without the asuras, the world would remain motionless, deprived of breath and movement. The universe is in balance, suspended from the rope of the cosmic serpent.

Angkor sculptors often gave asuras fierce faces, revealing pride and rebellion. Their bulging eyes, arched eyebrows, and conical headdresses distinguish them from the serene gods they face. They are first encountered at the gates of Angkor Thom, lined up along causeways and bridges, pulling Vasuki's tail. The scene is repeated in Angkor Wat galleries, where an immense bas-relief unfolds the same legend with incomparable finesse: more than 90 asuras arch their backs in a rhythmic movement, their knotted torsos and raised headdresses seeming to animate the sanctuary.

At the Bayon, their image becomes more human. Asuras appear in the exterior reliefs mingling with heroes and warriors, as if the boundary between demons and men was blurring under the vision of the creative king Jayavarman VII. At Preah Khan and Ta Prohm temples, they watch over the shadows of lintels and walls overgrown with roots, protecting a world where Buddhism has calmed the fury of incessant fighting.

At Banteay Chhmar, other asuras, carved with great beauty, still reenact the cosmic struggle on the forgotten walls of the temple, their powerful bodies seeming to hold back the stone itself. At Banteay Samré, a long causeway lined with cosmic serpents pulled by demons unfolds in almost untouched silence, reminiscent of scenes from Angkor Wat. The entrances of Ta Som are still marked by eroded statues of asuras and devas facing each other, as if the cosmic struggle was secretly continuing beneath the vegetation.

Banteay Kdei, a peaceful temple with moss-covered walls, has demon heads on its parapets, their sharp features softened by time. Further north, the elegant twin temples of Chau Say Tevoda and Thommanon show figures of asuras entwined with mythical beings on their lintels. The massive, unfinished Ta Keo still has a few asura guardians at its foot, seemingly watching over the ascent to the summit. Near the Bayon, the little-known Preah Pithu complex contains fragments of bas-reliefs where snakes and demons intertwine in the broken stone.

During a journey through Angkor, these figures are everywhere, reminding us of the eternal balance between light and shadow. 
 

THE KARSTIC REGIONS OF VIETNAM
IN THE LAND OF 1,001 MEANDERS

Vietnam is distinguished by its karst regions, located mainly in the north and center of the country. They form the southern extension of the karsts of Guizhou, Yunnan, and Guangxi, constituting the largest limestone area in the world.

Four hundred million years ago, these regions were covered by warm ocean waters, where marine organisms deposited layers of calcium carbonate and magnesium, creating limestone strata. Pushed above sea level by tectonic movements, the strata rose to form mountains and plateaus. Millions of years of typhoons and slightly acidic rains seeped into cracks, dissolving the brittle parts of the limestone rocks. The water penetrated deeper and deeper, accumulating in underground rivers and basins. Winds and erosion continued to sharpen these heights in capricious ways.
 

The limestone formations of Bac Truong Bo (Central Vietnam)

This third heavily uplifted limestone area is located in central Vietnam, between Nghe An province in the north and Quang Binh province in the south. It consists of two karst massifs: Con Cuong (Nghe Anh Province) and Ke Bang (Quang Binh Province). Significant formations include:

• The Con Cuong massif, distinguished by whitish limestone bands 40 to 50 km long and the Vuon Quoc and Pu Mat National Parks.

• The Ke Bang (Stone Forest) massif, which covers 2,000 square kilometers and is one of the most remarkable examples of complex karst relief in Southeast Asia (and the world). It is formed by an inextricable network of peaks, caves, sinkholes, and underground networks.

• The Bac Son plateau or formation (known as “1,001 mountains” or “cat ears”) with the plateau at its center is the black hole of limestone massifs, impenetrable and unexplored. In March 2024, Secret Indochina organized an expedition there to identify its southern access point; a second expedition is planned for March 2026, with the aim of reaching the center of the plateau (for information on the 2024 expedition, see the July 7, 2024 newsletter: Link)