Political
The Devaraja Cult
- It is evident that the devaraja concept was institutionalised through the presence of monuments such as the Angkor Wat, which were erected to celebrate the king's divine rule on earth
- The cult which was founded by Jayavarman II, identified the king with the Hindu God Shiva, Brahman the creator, Vishnu the preserver, Siva the god symbolising destruction and reproduction.
- This way, the king is exalted as the 'living god', demanding the utmost service and devotion of his people and thus strengthening the justification of the king.
- The image below is a representation of what the people believe is the appearance of the Devaraja.
Court Rituals
- Court Rituals were created under the influence of the Indians
- An example of a court ritual would be the blowing of a ritual conch shell (saing) by a Brahmin priest created a propitious vibratory environment for divination, propitiation, or to signal the arrival of the sovereign.
Sanskrit
The adoption by the Khmer court and usage of the language show that there was cultural borrowing and adaptation, contributing to the process of Indianisation in the Khmer Empire.
- Sanskrit is the original liturgical language of Hinduism
- It was adopted by the Khmer court and combined with archaic Khmer
- The Sanskrit language was also used in the naming of countries.
- During the Khmer Empire, Cambodia was known as Kambuja, the Sanskrit word referring to an Iranian tribe who had no castes. Thus, Brahmins called the Cambodians (who had no castes either) as Kambujas (implying 'casteless barbarian')
The adoption by the Khmer court and usage of the language show that there was cultural borrowing and adaptation, contributing to the process of Indianisation in the Khmer Empire.
Legitimising of King
- According to Khmer texts, King Jayavarman II, the founder of the Khmer Empire, was crowned by a Brahmin priest.
- This shows the presence of the Mandala concept as in the Mandala concept, only the Brahmist priest can legitimise the king, who has the ability to tap into 'cosmic power' through the virtuous behaviour of the Hindu 'devaraja'.