Kok Svay Chek

A recorded mound that may have been the site where an important stele was originally located. The stele was recorded by French surveyors in the early 1930s as being found half-buried, on a low prominence, about three kilometres west of Wat Kok Khpos.

Its exact original location is not completely clear. The marker for the site is placed at the location of the present-day pagoda in Svay Chek village. One of the possible sites is across the road, 100m east of the road, which locals say they remember there being laterite, although it was removed years ago, and the area is mostly developed now. It’s much the same story for several other possible locations in the near area.

Inscription

• K. 754 – 20 lines of Pali and 31 lines of Khmer – Coedès 1936, p. 14-21

The inscription, dated to 1309 AD, is often noted as the first inscription written in the Pali language in Cambodia, which is related to Theravada Buddhism, although there are noted examples in the Funan/Chenla era (6/7th century). Nonetheless, they are rare, and this one appears at quite a notable point in Khmer history with the change to Theravada Buddhism as it remains until this day. The Pali text mentions King Sirisirindavamma’s (Indravarman III (Khmer: ឥន្ទ្រវរ្ម័នទី៣)) donation of the village of Sirisirindaratanagâma to the Mahâthera Sirisirindamoli. It also mentions a laywoman, Sirimàlinïratanalakkhï, who built a vihāra and installed a Buddha statue. The Khmer text gives more details, including the name of the Buddha statue: Çrïçrîndramahàdeva. The inscription also details the donation of four villages to maintain the monastery, along with workers and other items.

Historical Notes

During these various researches I stopped at several Khmer pagodas and remains, among others, at Kük Ampĭl (504), Kük Kraběi Riel (505), Prasat Prapis (506), Vắt Pamà (508), Vắt Pràsàt (591) and at Vắt Kuk Khpos, a pagoda located approximately 800 meters south of Vắt Pràsàt.

To the east of this pagoda, on a mound, there are Khmer remains whose sculptures were deposited in the room of the bonze school. On site, there remains only a lintel, barely sketched, in red sandstone, and some blocks of molded sandstone which seem to come from ancient pedestals. In the room of the school, apart from the sculptures found to the east of the pagoda, several Khmer statues, quite interesting, found in the region were collected. The head of the bonzes having asked me for permission to keep them, I have done what is necessary to have them classified.

On the other hand, at the southwest corner of this pagoda is a superb inscribed stele. It was found half buried, on a low prominence, about three kilometers west of Vắt Kük Khpos and 200 meters from Phum Svay Ček, a village located in the immense plain north of Phnom Krom, 9 kilometers, as the crow flies, from the hill. This inscribed marker is a block of sandstone, quadrangular, 1.70m high by .49 square section, having, as a base, a slightly protruding platform. The crowning is broken. This block has two of its sides covered with inscriptions, one has two vertical columns of 20 lines each, about .17m long; the other side has 31 lines of .41m long. At the place where it was found, there are bricks and fragments of tiles. I have the impression that these remains are not very old and must have belonged to a Nak Tà housing the stele

BEFEO, Chronique, 1933

Historical Images

Via EFEO Fonds Cambodge

Rodney Charles LHuillier

Living in Asia for over a decade and now residing in beautiful Siem Reap. Rodney Charles L'Huillier has spent over seven years in Cambodia and is the author of Ancient Cambodia (2024) and Essential Siem Reap (2017, 2019). Contact via [email protected] - more..