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Kampuchea Chef These two sandstone sacred deposit stones Thursday, April 20, 2023
These two sandstone sacred deposit stones represent a little-known part of the make-up of every ancient temple in Cambodia. We’ve all seen the incredible temples themselves, the gorgeous lintels and pediments over the doorways, the linga and yoni, or the magnificent free-standing statues, but in each temple there would’ve been versions of the deposit stones you see here. Inadvertently, they may’ve been one of the reasons why so many smaller temples have been reduced to rubble, as looters search for valuables in the central sanctuary of the prasat. These sacred deposit stones would’ve likely contained gold, silver, precious gems, gold leaf or crystals. Whether they were placed under statues of deities, as part of pedestals or yoni, under temple foundations or in temple roof vaults, their booty was too tempting for temple robbers.
The wide variation of marks and geometric patterns set in the deposit stones indicate sacred configurations and allow for insertion of auspicious items – which give ‘life breath’ according to Sanskrit ritual texts - during the ceremony to consecrate the temple or the deity. One common item was a gold plate engraved with eight-petaled lotus flowers. Hence the attraction for thieves. Other items might include figures of elephants and turtles, attributes of Vishnu, or sacred Sanskrit text. The first example that can be seen at the National Museum in Phnom Penh was collected from the 11th century temple of Prasat Snuol in Samrong village in Kralanh district, and which was originally kept at Angkor Conservation from 1939 onwards. The second deposit stone comes from Prasat Chen at Koh Ker and is from the second quarter of the 10th century. I’ve included an EFEO photo from Phnom Bakheng which shows the typical placement of a deposit stone within and under a pedestal.
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