The Kingdom of Funan was situated on the plains around the Tonle Sap River. There was a shortage of stone which could only be found in the distant hills. Therefore, most buildings and statues were made out of wood or brick.
The Indian style of architecture was used for early religious buildings in Funan. A single square tower built of bricks with a high roof served as a temple. Stone was sometimes used for the post and [G 19 / lintels] of doors. Inside was a small dark chamber which housed the statue of the god.
There was very little decoration on these early temples. The very early statues used in these temples were copies of Indian ones. However, the native people quickly adapted the Indian style to their own artistic style, forming a uniquely Cambodian type of statue. A few of these early [I 001 / Indian-style temples] still exist in ruins in parts of Cambodia and some statues dating from the same time have also been found.
