A joint mission between the Apsara Authority and international researchers has identified a series of ceremonial offering pits in the Takeo Province. Dating to the Funan era, these pits were filled with charred rice and miniature gold-leaf replicas of rice stalks, pointing to an early precursor to the Royal Ploughing Ceremony and other agricultural festivals central to Khmer culture.
The pits were strategically placed along an ancient canal system, suggesting that the ritual was intended to sanctify the water used for irrigation. This discovery bridges a significant gap in our understanding of how pre-Angkorian societies managed their agricultural cycles through organized communal festivals and religious offerings.