Researchers from the Authority for the Protection and Management of Angkor and the Region of Siem Reap have recently discovered over 200 hidden paintings on the walls of the Angkor Wat temple complex that date to around the 16th century.

The ancient Angkor Wat Temple in Cambodia is the largest religious monument in the world, and one of the most popular tourist destinations in Southeast Asia with millions of visitors every year.

Researchers from the Authority for the Protection and Management of Angkor and the Region of Siem Reap have recently discovered over 200 hidden paintings on the walls of the temple complex that date to around the 16th century.

Using a digital image enhancement technique called decorrellation stretch analysis, researchers were able to see the wall paintings, which depict a variety of animals, and the Hindu monkey god Hanuman, along with a musical ensemble scene, dieties, boats, and people riding horses.

Noel Hidalgo Tan, a researcher in the College of Asia and the Pacific at Australian National University who also worked on the study is quoted as saying:“A lot of the visible paintings on the walls have been previously discounted as graffiti, and I certainly agree with this interpretation, but there are another set of paintings discovered from this study that are so schematic and elaborate that they are likely not random graffiti, but an attempt to decorate the walls of the temple.”

The paintings are believed to be from around the time that the temple changed from being used for Vishnavaite Hindu purposes to a center for Theravada Buddhism.