Early Khmer representations of the mukhalinga Shiva often adopt the abstract form of the linga or the phallus. Some linga such as this sculpture on display, are carved with the mukha or the face. The mukhalinga is carved in three parts as a representation of the Trimurti or Hindu Trinity with the square base symbolising Brahma, the commander of the four cardinal directions; the octagonal shaft symbolising Vishnu as the chakravartin or universal king, commander of the eight cardinal and subcardinal directions; and the cylindrical, bulbous head symbolising Shiva, the divine personification of cosmic infinity in phallic form.
