Across ancient Asia, dragons were not ornament or mythic beasts but frameworks for reading the natural world. They moved through storm and sky as bringers of rain, through rivers as an unbroken force and within mountains where opposing powers were held in balance. In every form, they carried the idea that imperial power was only legitimate when it mirrored the balance of the heavens, with rule drawn from the same forces that shaped the sky.

Located within the Royal Square at the ancient city of Angkor Thom, the Terrace of the Leper King is an elevated stone platform, adorned with a series of enigmatic bas reliefs, which dates back to the late Angkorian period during the reign of King Jayavarman VII.