On K. 1049, a tenth-century cave-inscription from Battambang, and on the sectarian obedience of the Śaiva ascetics of non-royal cave-inscriptions in Cambodia

On K. 1049, a tenth-century cave-inscription from Battambang, and on the sectarian obedience of the Śaiva ascetics of non-royal cave-inscriptions in Cambodia Best known among the magnificent Khmer inscriptions in Sanskrit are the huge royal stelae engraved with hundreds of verses in high kāvya style that celebrate the achievements of kings of the Angkorian period.  Apart from their beauty and their importance for South-East-Asian history, Cambodian inscriptions hold up a hazy but often illuminating mirror to intellectual and religious developments that were taking place in the Indian subcontinent. The focus of this article, however, is K. 1049, an unpublished inscription that belongs to the small corpus of typically non-royal cave inscriptions that attest to the presence over several centuries of Śaiva ascetics dwelling in sculpted mountain caves. It provides some clues that can help to tell us who some of these Cambodian Śaivas were. Sur K. 1049, inscription du 10 eme siecle d’une grotte de Battambang et sur l’obedience sectaire des ascetes shivaites des inscriptions non royales des grottes du Cambodge Des magnifiques inscriptions du Cambodge en sanskrit, on retient surtout les grandes steles royales inscrites de centaines de strophes, redigees dans les plus beaux styles du k┌vya, celebrant les prouesses des rois angkoriens. A part leur beaute et leur importance pour l’histoire de l’Asie du Sud-Est, les inscriptions du Cambodge contiennent bien des points flous qui sont en meme temps autant de miroirs refletant les developpements intellectuels et religieux qui se produisaient dans le sous-continent. Le present article porte sur K. 1049, une inscription inedite appartenant au petit groupe des inscriptions non royales, inscrites dans les grottes, qui temoignent de la presence des siecles durant des ascetes ╒ivaites vivant dans des grottes amenagees. L’inscription fournit des indices qui nous aident a mieux cerner l’identite de ces ascetes. អពសលាចារក K.1049 នៅលអាងភនមយនៃខេតតបាតដបង នងអពនកាយ សាសនាពកសៃវា ដែលមាននយាយនៅសលាចារកមនមែនរបសពរះរាជានៅតាមលអាងនានានៃកមពជា កនងចណោមសលាចារកបរទេសកមពជាជាភាសាសសរកត គេតែងចាបអារមមណលើផទាងអកសរថមដែលមានសេចកតវែងហើយតែងជាកាពយដពរោះ ដែលចរើនតែលើកសរសើរសនាដៃតរចះតរចងនានានៃពរះរាជាផសេងៗកនងអាណាចករអងគរ។ ករៅពពាកយពេចនពរោះនងសារសខានសមរាបបរវតតសាសរតអាសអាគនេយ សលាចារកកមពជាតែងមានចណចផសេងៗដែលពបាកយលឬបកសរាយ តែជាមយគនានោះឆលះបញចាងពសថានភាពដះដាលកនងគនតនងសាសនានៅឧបទវបឥណឌា។ នេះជាការសកសាមនគេ លើសលាចារក K.1049 ដែលសថតកនងករមសលាចារកចារនៅតាមលអាងភន ហើយដែលនយាយពអនកធវើតាបស រសនៅកនងលអាងទាងនោះ។ សលាចារកនេះផតលជាតមរយមយចននជយឱយយើងយលថា តាបសធវើធមទាងនោះជានរណា។