In 1934, the École française d'Extrême-Orient (EFEO) conducted excavations at the Thap Mam ruins (Nhon Thanh, An Nhon), recovering a large number of sculptures; among them were four statues depicting the divine bird Garuda slaying a serpent, arranged in symmetrical pairs. In 2011, the National Museum of History of Vietnam and the Binh Dinh Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism carried out a second excavation at the site, uncovering a significant number of artifacts. These included two additional statues of Garuda slaying a serpent—also in a symmetrical pair—featuring decorative motifs and themes strikingly similar to the four discovered in 1934. Currently, the two Garuda statues found during the 2011 excavation are on display at the Gia Lai Provincial Museum.
Statue 2 depicts the divine bird standing upright with its head tilted to the right and its body facing forward; its wings are spread to the sides. The right hand grasps the body of a serpent in front of the chest, while the left hand holds a smaller serpent raised to head level. The legs are slightly bent, with the right foot trampling a serpent.
Regarding decorative motifs, the two Garuda statues are rendered in a remarkably similar style. The Garuda’s head wears a three-tiered *Kirita Mukuta* crown, adorned with garlands and strings of beads that extend to the back of the neck. The eyes are large and round, with eyelids framed by two layers of stylized lotus petals and striped patterns; a vertical line featuring a band of layered lotus petals runs from the forehead to the beak, positioned between the eyes. The beak is long, sharp, and curved downward, clamping onto a serpent's body while revealing the teeth; the edges of the beak are decorated with small leaf patterns. It features long ears with large, drooping lobes adorned with leaf-shaped ornaments; a short neck encircled by a round-bead necklace and a lotus-petal band below; and a muscular torso. The arms are clenched firmly, with round-bead bracelets adorning both the biceps and wrists. The Garuda wears a short *sampot* (lower-body garment) secured by a round-bead belt, with a decorative band of alternating lotus-petal motifs and round beads beneath. The legs are depicted as short, with raised circular ornaments on the knees; the feet resemble bird talons and are shown trampling a serpent, forcing its three heads to rear up to the level of the Garuda's knees (though, due to the statue's three-sided nature, only two serpent heads are visible). A mounting peg is located on the back of each relief for attachment to an architectural element.
The pair of "Garuda slaying the serpent" statues from Thap Mam represents a unique and distinctive sculptural masterpiece; it inherits the traditions of Champa sculpture and marks a pinnacle of the Thap Mam artistic style. This depiction of the Garuda slaying the serpent stands as a unique sculptural work, significant not only within Champa art but also within the broader context of ancient Southeast Asian sculpture.
