The crocodile stone at Wat Phou was possibly the site of an annual sacrifice in pre-Angkorian times.

---

The crocodile stone, on the upper level of Wat Phou was possibly the site of an annual sacrifice in pre-Angkorian times. There are boulders shaped to resemble elephants and a crocodile. The crocodile stone has acquired some notoriety as being possibly the site of human sacrifices described in a 6th century Chinese text; the identification is lent some plausibility by the similarity of the crocodile's dimensions to those of a human.

---

Size: 5616px × 3744px
Location: Champasak, Laos
Photo credit: © John Lander / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No

Keywords: ancient, archeological, champasak, crocodile, heritage, impression, indentation, lao, laos, laotian, phou, phu, ruins, site, stone, unesco, vat, wat, world