O Ka-aek Temple

Also known as Prasat Kaek, it’s a small 9th-century brick temple located near Bakong Temple, Bakong District, Siem Reap. Featuring an open doorway to the east and sandstone false doorways on each other side. Amazingly, on one of the false doors, you can still see remnants of the stucco decoration. Other remnants at the front of the site include a lintel, decayed beyond recognition, and fragments of the quite beautiful decorated door columns.

Images from the dry season, in 2021

In the 1930s, French researchers would report a couple of discoveries at the site including the site’s foundation deposit: Prasat Kaek.-Brick sanctuary to the west a little south of Prasat Ólok. The clearing revealed an inscription on the jamb of the eastern entrance door; unfortunately, it is very deteriorated. Inside the cella were discovered four gold lamellae in the shape of tree leaves (pl. LXVI, ) as well as a three-section linga and a pedestal with snanadroni; additionally three fragments of bricks bears the imprint of a child’s foot, the others the imprints of their fathers.

Inscriptions

• K. 833 – 10 lines of Sanskrit on the doorjamb – IC IV, p. 53 – George Coedes noted the inscription as mostly ruined determining only that there were eight lines and from the characters still remaining, determining the style belonging to that of the 9th c.

References

• Chronique de l’année 1935. In: Bulletin de l’Ecole française d’Extrême-Orient. Tome 35, 1935. pp. 407-505.