Image number: 07THI-187

This golden statue of a Thai thepnorasi has the upper body of a male angel, and the lower body of a lion (singha). This is one of the many mythical animals from the Himapan (or Himmapan, Himaphan in Thai), a legendary forest which includes a pantheon of amazing creatures and surrounds the base of Mount Meru in Hindu mythology of ancient India (where the mythic forest is called Himmavanta, Himavanta, or Himavamsa). This statue is in the shining complex of buildings known as the Temple of the Emerald Buddha (Wat Phra Kaew), within the grounds of the Grand Palace in Bangkok, Thailand.