Khmer

Intro

  • Khmer are Austronesians. ~5% of Cambodian ancestry seems to be Indian. [RK16]
  • Khmer have historically been a lowland people who lived close to one of the tributaries of the Mekong River.

Legends

  • 10CE inscription: Khmer race arose from the union of the brahmin Kambu Swayambhuva and the apsara (“celestial nymph”) Mera. Their marriage is said to have given rise to the name Kambujas/ Khmer and founded the Varman dynasty of ancient Cambodia.
  • “Cambodia was created when an Indian Brahmin priest named Kaundinya (commonly referred to as Preah Thoang) married Princess Soma, a Naga (Khmer: neak) princess.”

Kingdoms

  • Nokor Phnom / Mountain kingdom / Funan was an ancient (50-500CE) Indianised state—or, rather a loose network of states (Mandala).
  • “Originally one of the regional centers of Funan with an unknown degree of sovereignty, Chenla was recognized by a foreign power as a separate political entity at the end of the sixth century, Bhavavarman I its independent ruler.”
  • The rival Khmer Chenla Kingdom emerged in the fifth century and later conquered the Kingdom of Funan. Chenla was an upland state whose economy was reliant on agriculture whereas Funan was a lowland state with an economy dependent on maritime trade.
  • Jayavarman II(802–830) establishes the named Khmer/ Angkor Empire, founding three capitals—Indrapura, Hariharalaya, and Mahendraparvata… Suryavarman I (reigned 1002–1050) turned his forces eastward and subjugated the Mon kingdom of Dvaravati. … After the death of Suryavarman II (1113–50), Cambodia lapsed into chaos until Jayavarman VII (1181–1218) ordered the construction of a new city. He was a Buddhist, and for a time, Buddhism became the dominant religion in Cambodia. As a state religion, however, it was adapted to suit the Deva Raja cult, with a Buddha Raja being substituted for the former Shiva Raja or Vishnu Raja.

Decline

  • “The rise of the Tai kingdoms of Sukhothai (1238) and Ayutthaya (1350) resulted in almost ceaseless wars with the Cambodians and led to the destruction of Angkor in 1431. They are said to have carried off 90,000 prisoners … The period following 1432, with the Cambodian people bereft of their treasures, documents, and human culture bearers, was one of precipitous decline.”
  • “In 1434, King Ponhea Yat made Phnom Penh his capital, and Angkor was abandoned to the jungle. … "
  • “Due to continued Siamese and Vietnamese aggression, Cambodia appealed to France for protection in 1863 and became a French protectorate in 1864. During the 1880s, along with southern Vietnam and Laos, Cambodia was drawn into the French-controlled Indochinese Union.”

Current religion

  • “Modern Khmer strongly identify their ethnic identity with their religious beliefs and practices, which combine the tenets of Theravada Buddhism with elements of indigenous ancestor-spirit worship, animism and shamanism. … "