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The hidden graffiti of Angkor Wat: Nasa technology reveals more than 200 hidden paintings of gods and elephants on temples

• Faded pictures in the temple show gods, musical instruments and boats
• Some are thought to be graffiti left by pilgrims after the Hindu temple was abandoned in 15th century
• Other more skilful works are thought to be part of a renovation effort
• Paintings were revealed using ‘decorrelation stretch analysis’ to enhance photos – the same technique used by Nasa to examine Martian rocks

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Published: 14:01 BST, 29 May 2014 | Updated: 14:16 BST, 29 May 2014

Millions of travellers make the pilgrimage to Angkor Wat to take in the incredible 900-year-old towers and sculptures of Cambodia’s iconic temple complex.

And now they have extra cause to make the trip, after archaeologists used Nasa technology to reveal 200 hidden paintings on the buildings’ walls.

While the faded pictures might be invisible to the naked eye, processed images show elephants, gods, musical instruments, boats and patterns, which are all thought to be ancient graffiti.

Experts believe that the artistic markings were made by pilgrims visiting the holy site after it was abandoned in the 15th century, but the more elaborate paintings could have been created during earlier attempts to restore the temple to its former glory, reported.

The 500-acre temple complex was built in the 12th century and is known for its intricate carvings, some of which measure more than half a mile (1km) in length.

Most archaeologists believe that parts of the temple were painted, so when Noel Hidalgo Tan, a rock-art researcher at Australian National University in Canberra spotted paint traces and faint images in 2010 he was excited.

He took photographs with a bright flash and later used ‘decorrelation stretch analysis’ to enhance them and reveal the artwork on the walls.

The tool is also used by Nasa to look at the subtle colour differences in Martian rock in photographs taken by its Opportunity rover on the red planet.

But at Angkor Wat it revealed more than 200 images of animals such as lions and elephants, people, deities including the Hindu monkey god Hanuman, boats and an image of the temple complex itself, a selection of which have been published in the journal Antiquity.

‘Some of the most detailed paintings, the ones located at the top of the temple, are passed by literally thousands of visitors every day, but the most elaborate scenes are effectively invisible to the naked eye,’ Dr Tan told.

Because some of the paintings are so haphazardly arranged, experts believe they were graffiti left by visitors after the temple was abandoned for the first time in 1431.

However, one group of painstakingly-drawn pictures, which are drawn on the highest part of one of the temple’s towers, are thought to be part of a 16th century restoration programme, when the building was converted from a Hindu temple to a Buddhist holy site.

The chamber – known as the Bakan – contains a scene showing Khmer musical instruments such as different types of xylophones, gongs and wind instruments as well as another showing people riding horses between simples.

Dr Tan believes that the most skilful artworks may have been commissioned by Cambodia’s King Ang Chan who launched the restoration project.

During his reign between 1528 and 1566 Angkor Wat was transformed from a Hindu temple dedicated to the god Vishnu into a Buddhist site and numerous carvings were completed.

Some of the faded paintings appear to support his theory as they feature Buddhist iconography such as a monument known as a stupa.

It is thought that the long-lost paintings could further experts’ knowledge about a little-known period in the temple’s existence.