Dating: Late 11th century CE

Provenance: Thap Mam, Binh Dinh Province

Inventory No.: BTC 235

Material: Sandstone

Brahma is the god of creation and is often revered as the deity of wisdom. In Cham art, Brahma is typically portrayed in relief with three visible faces (with the fourth face concealed behind). In this sculpture, the deity is seated on the back of Hamsa the goose—his divine vehicle (vahana). His right leg is folded cross-legged, while his left leg extends slightly downward with the left foot pointing toward the ground. Both hands rest on his thighs, with his right hand holding a sword.

The god wears a three-tiered conical crown (Kiritamukuta). His neck, upper arms, wrists, and ankles are adorned with jeweled bands. He wears a elaborately decorated three-layered sampot; the hem of the sampot does not roll upward over the thigh, but instead folds down like petal rims with fanned-out pleats—a decorative detail reflecting the stylistic influence of 12th-century Khmer art.