The Khmer Empire during the 12th century produced extensive stone inscriptions in Sanskrit and Old Khmer, documenting royal achievements, religious dedications, and administrative matters. These inscriptions often included poetic passages praising kings and deities, demonstrating the integration of literary artistry into public monuments.

Khmer inscriptions preserved Sanskrit poetic conventions while adapting them to local contexts, creating distinctive Southeast Asian variations on Indian literary models. The bilingual nature of many inscriptions (Sanskrit for religious content, Khmer for practical matters) reflected hierarchical language use that influenced later Khmer literary culture. These monumental texts demonstrated how poetry served political legitimization and religious devotion in Khmer royal ideology.