Arrival and Spread
Hinduism reached the Khmer lands by the early first millennium CE. Indian merchants and Brahman priests travelled across the South China Sea and were patronized by local chiefs, leaving Sanskrit inscriptions as early as the late 4th century in what is now Borneo. These traders and priests brought Shaivism and Vaishnavism as well as Tantric practices, and the kings of nascent Southeast‑Asian states adopted Hindu texts, rituals and architectural styles that suited their circumstances . By the fifth century, Funan and Chenla polities in Cambodia were firmly inside the Indian cultural sphere. The royal cult of Devarāja (“god‑king”), in which the monarch was regarded as an incarnation of a Hindu deity, gave the king divine legitimacy and enabled the construction of great monuments . Jayavarman II’s grand consecration ceremony on Mount Mahendraparvata (Phnom Kulen) in 802 CE proclaimed him cakravartin (universal monarch) and institutionalized the Devarāja cult . The king’s divine essence was embodied in the linga, a Shiva symbol housed in a mountain temple; protecting this linga symbolized guarding the kingdom .
Architecture and Cosmology
Temple Mountains
Khmer architecture blended indigenous cosmology with Hindu temple design. Temple‑mountain complexes such as Bakong (881) and Angkor Wat depict Mount Meru, the mythical abode of the gods. The central sanctuary tower represents the mountain’s peak, surrounding terraces symbolize lesser peaks and the surrounding moat evokes the cosmic ocean . Angkor Wat, built by King Suryavarman II in the early 12th century, combines the temple‑mountain with galleried halls and was dedicated to Vishnu . Its quincunx of towers symbolizes the five peaks of Mount Meru, and its vast moat suggests the encircling cosmic sea . Inscriptions identify Angkor Wat’s original name as Vrah Viṣṇuloka (“sacred dwelling of Vishnu”) .
Sculptures and Reliefs
Khmer sculptors produced exquisite sandstone carvings of Hindu deities—Shiva, Vishnu, Ganesha, Harihara and Naga—and mythical creatures like makara and kala. Bas‑reliefs at Banteay Srei (10th century) depict scenes from the Ramayana and Mahabharata, while Angkor Wat’s galleries contain the Churning of the Ocean of Milk, the largest bas‑relief in the world . These carvings attest to the power and prestige of Hindu traditions in the Khmer empire .
Literature and Epics
Reamker—The Khmer Ramayana
The Ramayana arrived in Cambodia with the spread of Hinduism. A 7th‑century inscription at Veal Kantel (K.359) records donations of Ramayana manuscripts to temples. Khmer artisans carved the epic’s scenes on temple walls at Angkor Wat and Banteay Srei nearly a millennium ago . Over time, the story was re‑imagined as the Reamker (“Glory of Rama”), a 16th‑ or 17th‑century Cambodian epic that emphasises human characters and includes episodes unique to Khmer tradition, such as Hanuman’s romance with the mermaid Sovann Maccha . While rooted in Hindu mythology, the Reamker adapts Hindu notions of duty and fidelity to Buddhist ethics . It remains central to Khmer classical dance‑drama, masked dance and shadow‑puppet theatre, demonstrating Hinduism’s enduring literary and performative legacy .
Other Textual Influences
Sanskrit and Pali enriched the Khmer vocabulary, especially in royal and religious registers . The Khmer script itself descends from South India’s Pallava script (a branch of the Brahmi family) and has been used since at least the 7th century . This script’s adoption allowed Khmer scholars to read and copy Hindu and Buddhist texts, integrating Indian cosmology and philosophy into Cambodian literature.
Dance and Performing Arts
The ethereal apsaras of Indian mythology inspire Cambodia’s iconic dance. Bas‑reliefs at Angkor temples (8th–13th centuries) depict thousands of apsaras—celestial nymphs—dancing or poised to dance . In modern Khmer terminology, female figures captured in dance are called apsaras, while those standing still are devatas . A revival in the mid‑20th century by Queen Sisowath Kossamak transformed Apsara Dance into a national symbol. Performed in royal courts and now on cultural stages, the dance celebrates myths and spirituality and retains gestures, costumes and headdresses reminiscent of ancient sculptures .
Kingship and Political Philosophy
Hinduism shaped Khmer political ideology through the Devarāja cult. Influenced by Indian concepts of Chakravarti (universal monarch), the Khmer king was portrayed as a living god—a manifestation of Shiva or Vishnu. This concept legitimized the monarch’s absolute authority and demanded the populace’s devotion . Jayavarman II institutionalized this cult in 802 CE, conferring divine essence through a linga in a mountain temple during an elaborate ritual led by Brahman priests . The Sdok Kăk Thom inscription (1053 CE) recounts how Jayavarman II’s priest Hiranyadama performed a ceremony on Mount Mahendraparvata that proclaimed the king chakravartin and established the Devarāja cult as the religious basis of royal authority . This ideology allowed kings to mobilize labor for monumental building projects such as Angkor Wat .
Language, Names and Social Customs
Borrowings from Sanskrit permeate Khmer language and naming practices. Many Cambodian royal titles, temple names and personal names derive from Sanskrit (e.g., Surya‑varman meaning “protected by the Sun”). Court ceremonies adopted Vedic ritual forms, and Brahman priests officiated at coronations and state rituals. Hindu cosmology also influenced Khmer lunar calendar calculations and auspicious date selection.
Transformation and Legacy
From the 14th century onward, Theravada Buddhism became Cambodia’s predominant religion, yet Hinduism’s legacy endured. Hindu deities were incorporated as guardian spirits, and temples were converted to Buddhist sanctuaries without erasing their Hindu iconography. Today, Cambodia’s royal rituals, classical arts, and architectural marvels continue to reflect the joyful synthesis of Hindu and local traditions. While the number of practicing Hindus in Cambodia is small, the cultural impact of Hinduism remains immense and continues to enchant visitors and inspire Cambodians with a sense of cosmic order, mythic splendour and artistic grace .
Key Aspects of Hindu Influence