Lion flanked by animals under Kalpavriksha
The image shows a carving on the outer wall of one of the temples in Prambanan located 11 miles northeast of Yogyakarta, Indonesia.
At the center is the statue of a lion in the niche, and on either side of the lion is a kalpavriksha with animals and birds around it. The significance and meaning of this unusual but beautiful and detailed carving are not well understood.
According to Hindu mythology, Kalpavrisksha is a divine tree that fulfills the desires of human beings. It is a by-product of the Samudra Manthana (Churning of the Ocean of Milk). See the Samudra Manthana bas-relief in the Angkor Wat Temple. Indra, who was in the middle of the Samudra Manthana, took this tree and planted in his garden.