Neam Rup Temple

The ancient temple of Neam Rup, also known as Prasat Neam Roub, dates back to the early 11th century and is completely formed of sandstone, once featuring three towers and an outer moat, 195 m x 200 m, which still surrounds the site today. Interestingly, the site features a second moat, 530 m x 560 m, enclosing vast grounds that were perhaps once a habitation area akin to the discoveries made at Preah Khan.

As was common practice in the 14th-19th century, monks had reused a lot of the stone masonry to create a vihara as noted by French researcher E. Lunet de Lajonquière in his report published in 1911. That vihara has since been replaced with the modern pagoda we see today. Looking around the inner edge of the moat, you can find a lot of blocks that would have originated from one of the three towers.

Thankfully, the central tower is still partly standing, and we can witness some of the beautiful art from the (assumed) 11th century, including reliefs of devata flanking the doorways, noting the slender waists and tilted hips. Plus remnants of Dvarapala accents, ornate base molding and decoration, and numerous sandstone pedestal bases, some for statuary and some that would have likely supported stone lions.

The site is quite pleasant, and when combined with other sites in the area, it’s well worth the journey.

An aerial view of the expansive grounds looking from the northeast corner, and photos from a 2023 visit.

A closer view of the devata/Apsara (images are 2023/2024 visits)

Images – 2022

The contemporary pagoda features sema stone from a prior vihara and beautiful murals.

The perimeter of the temple proper, where it meets the moat, is also laterite and sandstone lined by appearances. One might wonder if some of these blocks are repurposed from the temple itself at some time.

Inscription

An inscribed stele, registered under K.254, was found at the nearby basin, Trapeang Don Om (or Trapeang Don U/Don On), and is speculated to originate from this site, albeit the date of the inscription and style characteristic of the temple seem incongruent. The inscription describes in detail what was given to the gods, priests, and servants for their subsentence, plus providing a date of 1051 saka (1129 AD), a tribute to King Suryavarman II, and noting other foundations in the era. The Khmer text on the stele notes donations made to the god of Lingapura and the reign of several kings. It was also important in revealing the likely rice harvest potential in the era. (Jacques 2002/IC III, p. 180). The stele is now residing in the collection of the Museum Guimet. Please see Inscriptions du Cambodge VIII for a full introduction.

Intro to K. 254 by George Coedes

It is a flat stele (0 m. 71×0 m. 24), engraved on its four faces. The first large face (A) includes 47 lines in Sanskrit; this text continues on the first small face (c), placed to the right of the previous one, by 23 lines in Sanskrit followed by 24 lines in Khmer. The second large face (B) has 46 Khmer lines, and the second small face (d) has 42. The writing seems fine, elegant and regular, but it lacks firmness and is often very difficult to read.

The Sanskrit text, which consists of 32 çlokas, was written in 1051 A.D. (*1051 saka or 1129 AD* ?) After an invocation to Çiva and a short eulogy of Süryavarman II, it traces the curriculum vitae of a character who is not expressly named, but who could be Namaççivāya. Having entered the service of King Udayādityavarman II in the corps of guardians of the sacred oxen at the age of 18, he remained successively in the service of Harşavarman III, Jayavarman VI, Dharanindravarman I and Süryavarman II. He used the goods he had received from the favour of these sovereigns for religious foundations: in 1095 a Çiva, in 1109 a Vişnu and a Devi whose images were to be in the sanctuary near which the stele was originally placed.

The inscription then indicates the supplies prescribed for the maintenance of the cult and the personnel attached to the temple. The donor specifies that these foundations fall exclusively under the authority of a member of his family with the title of pandit, and threatens offenders with the penalties reserved for criminals guilty of offending their spiritual master.

This act is followed by the enumeration of the foundations made in 1126 at the Çiva of Lingapura, at the Çiva of Prthuçaila, at the Vişnu Cri Campeçvara and at the Jina of Vańçārāma.

But, unlike the previous ones, these foundations are subtracted from the authority of the donor’s family and placed under that of the kşelrādhipa (Khmer: khlon kşetra) because they have been attributed to the gods without restriction (akşala). These are in fact more or less ancient sanctuaries, royal foundations without doubt, and not personal foundations.

The Khmer text, of uncertain date, which ends side C is unrelated to the previous one. It mentions a donation of workers and land in favor of the god of Lingapura by a man named Kaviç-vara, who was khlon vala of Çivāspada.

The Khmer text on sides B and D is a fairly accurate translation of the Sanskrit text, and this bilingualism is not the least interesting aspect of the Trapån Dón Ón inscription. It had already allowed AYMONIER to recognize the posthumous names of the kings Harşavarman III, Jayavarman VI and Dharanindravarman I. It proves that Udayādityavarman II, for one reason or another, did not receive a posthumous name, because in the Khmer text which designates the sovereigns by their posthumous names this king is mentioned by his reign name in Varman. It provides us with the interesting identifications: Prthuçaila = Vnam Run and Vamçārāma Chpār Ransi. Finally, it allows us to draw up the table of equivalence of the capacity measures used for the rice.

Historical Notes

Neam Rup. The monks of the pagoda, which was installed on the site of this temple, 3 kilometers away to the north of the village of Lobök, have completely reworked it. There was once there a group of three sandstone sanctuaries regularly arranged and oriented. Their doors, their false doors, had received ordinary decoration: Devatas holding long-stemmed flowers in their hands occupied the side panels. The central sanctuary alone is still standing up to the height of the lintels of its doors, filled with the heaped blocks of its collapsed vault; as for the other two, they are completely demolished.

The sculpted stones from these demolitions were used to build the base of the vihara and to indicate around it a sort of density made with these disparate materials: crownings of sanctuaries in the shape of a blooming lotus, fragments of pediments, decorative lintels of type III, octagonal columns, etc. Some acroteria are decorated with figures of Dvarapâlas and corner plinths under reductions of domed sanctuaries with five tiers.

Inscriptions from Trapeang Don U. One inscribed stele found by M. Aymonier at Trapeang Don U (2 kilometres west from Neam Rup) was sent to the Guimet museum. The inscriptions found there include 47 lines on one of the large faces and 46 on the other in Sanskrit and Khmer, on the other faces, 47 and 46 lines in Khmer. They give dates ranging from 979 çaka = 1057 A.D. to 1048 çaka = 1126 A.D. and detail various creations of statues of gods as well as donations made.

Inventaire descriptif des monuments du Cambodge, E. Lunet de Lajonquière, 1902-1911

Around the time of 1962, the head of a deity was found here. (Via Fonds Cambodge)