Restoration and reassembly work on one of the largest Khmer bronze statues ever discovered — of Lord Vishnu or Lord Narayana — has been completed, reported The Phnom Penh Post.

A total of 39 fragments of a statue of Lord Vishnu, known in Khmer — the official language of Cambodia — as Preah Noreay, are now being prepared for display at the Guimet National Museum in Paris, France.

The 11th-century piece will be on display in France from April 30 until the end of September.

It was originally removed from the Western Mebon Temple, located in the centre of the Baray Teuk Thla reservoir in Siem Reap province. It was discovered by French researchers in 1936 and eventually stored at the National Museum of Cambodia in Phnom Penh.

In May last year, 39 individual fragments of the statue, which originally measured up to five meters in length, were sent to France for restoration and reassembly.

Von Noeun, deputy head of the Conservation Office under the Department of Museums at the Ministry of Culture and Fine Arts, and head of the conservation and restoration workshop for metal artefacts, told The Post that the statue of Vishnu has been fully restored to the best extent possible in Nantes and has been transported to Paris for exhibition.

The opening ceremony for the Vishnu exhibition will take place on April 28, with the participation of culture ministry officials, two days before the public are invited to view the exhibit.

“For this restoration project, we cleaned the surface of each piece to remove dirt and other residues. For the fragments, those that fit together were reassembled. Fragments that matched the main body of Vishnu were attached to it. Unfortunately, not all of the 39 fragments could be reassembled and have been preserved separately,” explained Noeun.

He noted that following the Paris exhibition, the remarkable piece will share the rich cultural history of the Khmer people with several locations across the US, where it is expected to be on display until 2027.

This story was originally published in The Phnom Penh Post, an ANN partner of Dawn.

Header Image: The five metre-long partially restored statue of Vishnu — Cambodian culture ministry