Religion
Angkor Wat:
Bas-relief of Angkor Wat
- The era’s surviving architecture testifies to the pervasiveness of Indian religions in Cambodia, one of which would be the Angkor Wat.
- It was built by King Suryavarman II in the 12th century.
- It is an architectural representation of Mount Meru and was dedicated to the Hindu god Vishnu. This proved that the Khmers worshipped the God Vishnu, showing cultural assimilation. It also shows the presence of the concept of divine kingship and devaraja in the Khmer Empire.
- According to the Hindu myths, Brahma God of Creator took lion as his palace's doorway guardian. When Khmers build temples, and as their temples were symbolized of Mount Meru, (Home of the Hindu Gods), that is why they put the lion statues for guarding at the front of their temples in order to follow a concept of a lion was guarding to the home of the Gods.
- Behind the lion statues, they put the naga statues to serve as the balustrade always along the causeway on the both sides. The naga is a mythical snake and according to the Hindu myth, the naga was a god of the underworld.
- The pagodas of Angkor Wat are a depiction of the Mandala. The pagodas follow the form of the Mandala - they have a center, consisting of three levels, each of which is enclosed by a square. Their structure also follows the concept of symmetry. Angkor Wat Mandala Sequence
Bas-relief of Angkor Wat
- The walls (niches) of the entry tower are decorated with very beautiful motifs. Among of those intricate carving in this section, the Apsaras are the most highlight and interesting motif. About 1800 of them are are carved all over the temple complex. An Apsara is a female spirit of the clouds and waters in Hindu and Buddhist mythology. As ethereal beings who inhabit the skies, and are often depicted taking flight, or at the service of a God, they may be compared to angels.
- The bas-reliefs depict famous Hindu epics: Ramanaya and Mahabharata.
- The gallery bas-relief of Angkor Wat depicts a very famous Hindu mythology: the Churning of the Sea of the Milk, which promotes Vishnu's reincarnation "Kurma Turtle". This was the second reincarnation of Vishnu. The gods and demon were joining together for churning the ocean the sea of milk with the main purpose being getting the elixir of immortality.
- Another gallery depicts the war scene of the Hindu epic. The subject of this story is "The Victory of Vishnu over Demons". In the relief, we can see Lord Vishnu is leading his army from the north to south. While his enemy Demon soldiers are marching south to north. Both teams are confronted with each other in the middle scene of the panel.
Betel Rituals
- Betel chewing rituals which are native to India, were also spread to the Khmer Empire.
- Betel chewing rituals were borrowed by the Khmers to be performed during ceremonies. An example of a ceremonial betel ritual would be the Si Siar Bangchoap Peak, a betel chewing ritual performed at Traditional Khmer weddings as a testimony to the agreement of marriage
- The following artifact is a Cambodian stoneware conch shell-form vessel which was made of high temperature fired brown stoneware with an iron glaze in the Khmer Empire during the twelfth or thirteenth century.
- The vessel represent of a distinct but rate group of zoomorphic, and more specifically shell form, vessels.
- It was probably blown as a horn during ceremonial betel rituals
Worship of Shiva
- The Khmers worshipped the Hindu god of Shiva, who was identified as the 'Lord of the Mountains'
- The worship of Shiva is connected with indigenous beliefs in the sanctity of the mountains, the home of the ancestral spirits.
- Shiva was also associated with fertility. Under Indian influences, the worship of Shiva was merged with local fertility beliefs in Shiva's representation by the stone or metal phallus, the lingam, inserted upright into the circular 'vulva' or Yoni, at shrines to him in the Khmer state. This shows evidence of the cultural diffusion (syncretism).