The lions of Pre Rup

During my recent vacation to Cambodia with friends, we visited quite a few historical / archaeological sites; Pre Rup was one such temple. From what I learned, the Cambodians apparently associate this place with cremation rituals, though not much is known about why that is so. What I found interesting here is the presence of pairs of lions that flank stairway entrances — these are supposed to be guardian lions. I think they still look majestic, and couldn’t resist clicking their pictures whenever I could see them while strolling around the temple’s perimeter!

This is a processed version of one of those photographs, which I’ve submitted to Leanne Cole for her Monochrome Madness weekly series. (Do visit her post if you’d like to see some fantastic monochrome photographs.)