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The Naga of Angkor Wat is a powerful serpentine motif drawn from Hindu and later Buddhist cosmology, most visibly expressed in the multi headed stone balustrades that line the temple's causeways and bridges. These sculpted nagas typically have five or seven heads and date to the early 12th century CE, making them about 900 years old, created during the reign of King Suryavarman II. In Khmer belief, the naga is a primordial being associated with water, fertility, protection, and the divine origins of kingship, with Angkor itself traditionally founded through a union between a human ruler and a naga princess. Architecturally, the naga balustrades symbolise the cosmic rainbow bridge linking the human realm to the world of the gods, guiding movement from the outer world toward the sacred core of the temple. Their placement over moats and along elevated causeways reinforces their role as guardians and liminal beings, marking the transition between chaos and order within Angkor Wat's carefully structured sacred landscape.

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