Within Cambodian Buddhism, the landscape of devotion is shared between Theravāda teachings and an older stratum of indigenous spirits and deities. Foremost among these are the **Neak Ta**, local guardian beings tied to specific places such as villages, rice fields, forests, or prominent natural features. They are typically honored at simple shrines or spirit houses, and villagers turn to them for protection, health, good harvests, and general good fortune. In this way, the moral and contemplative framework of Buddhism coexists with a very concrete sense of territorial and ancestral guardianship.

Another important strand of pre-Buddhist veneration centers on powerful protective spirits and ancestral beings. **Yeay Mao**, a widely revered female spirit, is especially associated with travel and coastal regions, where travelers, soldiers, and seafarers seek her protection and favor. **Arak** spirits, often approached through spirit mediums, are linked to healing, possession, and communication with the dead or with powerful nature spirits; they are invoked for diagnosis, cure, and ritual protection. Alongside these are **Lok Tā Daem** and other ancestor or “founder” spirits of localities and lineages, who receive offerings for guidance, prosperity, and social harmony.

There also persists a layer of royal and national tutelary spirits that bridges indigenous and Brahmanical elements. Figures such as **Preah Ko and Preah Keo**, a sacred bull paired with a divine figure, embody the protection of the kingdom and the well‑being of the land, while other royal guardian spirits, including deified former kings and culture‑heroes, are revered as custodians of political and cosmic order. These beings, together with the local Neak Ta and ancestral spirits, form a complex spiritual ecology in which Buddhist monks, rituals, and narratives provide overarching meaning, yet the older deities remain vital interlocutors for worldly concerns.