Hundreds of hidden wall paintings have been unearthed by researchers, most of which used to adorn the walls of Cambodia's famed Angkor Wat temple for more than 500 years.
Historians will be provided by a new understanding of life in a relatively unknown period of Cambodia's history through the discovery of the ancient paintings, which depict deities, animals, boats and the temple itself, Press Trust of India reported.
Noel Hidalgo Tan, rock art researcher from the Australian National University, was working as a volunteer at an archaeological excavation in Angkor Wat during a break in 2010 when he found the hidden images.
"I was walking through the temple on a lunch break and I saw some pigments on the wall. I took some pictures, but didn't think they would be anything special," he said.
After enhancing the images in his computer, Tan saw the long-lost artworks reveal themselves, according to PTI.
"It was an amazing moment. I didn't expect the images would be so elaborate and detailed," Tan said.
Angkor Wat is one of the world's most famous monuments and a national symbol of Cambodia.
Built in the 12th century, Angkor Wat was in the center of the city of Angkor, which was the capital of the Khmer Empire from the 9th to the 15th centuries.
Around two million tourists are attracted to the world-heritage site each year. However, the paintings had not been noticed despite the large number of visitors.
"Tan returned to the temple in 2012 to carry out a detailed investigation in collaboration with Cambodian researchers Im Sokrithy, Heng Than and Khieu Chan," PTI reported.
"Remnants of paintings were originally thought to be graffiti left by early travellers to the temple. But to Tan's surprise, many of the paintings portrayed elaborate details of daily life, with little resemblance to other documented graffiti images."
"The team suggests that the paintings seem to come from the 16th century reign of King Ang Chan, who commissioned a restoration of the temple to Theravada Buddhist use from a Vishnavaite Hindu temple."
The finding was published in the journal Antiquity.
