The Khmer Empire

Religious beliefs and values

In the times of the Khmer Empire 'religious beliefs and values' made a big contribution to the Khmer empire and were the basis of society. 

Initially, South-East Asians were animists before they inherited Buddhism and Hinduism from other lands. Animism is the belief that natural occurrences such as rain and wind had souls and when people would die their spirits would inhabit other objects such as trees and rocks.

Hinduism is made up of not just one,  but many gods that represent various aspects of life.  These include Vishnu, the supreme god of Hinduism and Shiva, the destroyer.


Buddhism was established in the sixth century BCE, by the Indian Prince Siddhartha Gautama. He was very wealthy but decided to abandon his life and seek enlightenment by living as a hermit for seven years. He travelled around to teach people about the four noble truths. He gained the name Buddha that means 'enlightened one'.

The Four Noble Truths in his teachings were that:-
•all people, regardless of wealth, suffers pain
•people remain on an endless cycle of reincarnation- they keep being born and reborn, and pain continues
•pain is caused by the desire, or craving, for things
•to over come desire, a person must follow the enlightened path.

After the Buddha had passed away, the Buddhism religion had separated in to different forms.  Mahayana Buddhism is the belief that the Buddha should be worshipped; Theravada Buddhism is that the Buddhas teachings should be followed.

Similarities in the social classes of the Angkor and the Khmer Empire

The similarities of the social classes stem from the religious basis of society.  Whilst the class system existed, they relied on each other for existence and the good of society with each group of people having a purpose and job to do.  It was a class system with the King being the overall ruler, the Nobles and Officials being answerable to the King but in charge of the ordinary people who included peasants, fishermen, slaves and skilled artisans.  The ordinary people were the lifeblood of the Khmer Empire being the ones who worked the land, provided labour for the buildings and created a working economy through trading.  

Another similarity was in the way that people dressed in that there was no real difference whether one was a Noble or a peasant.  In earlier times, it is believed that every person dressed same way because of the hot weather and this also was true for both women and men who wore a strand of cloth around their waist. 

Whilst there is not a lot of physical evidence it is believed that the importance of the family unit was similar among the different classes.  The family unit was believed to be the basic unit of society and important for strong growth.  

Further, their basic belief in karma resulted in all classes trying to fulfil their role in society in order to perhaps come back in a subsequent life to have climbed the class system.


Differences in the social classes in Angkor and the Khmer Empire

Whilst all classes worked together for the greater good, there were marked differences between the social classes.

The King, who was seen to be semi-divine and the Nobles and officials lived in the city of Angkor.  Their lives usually revolved around the running of empire and their lives were quite opulent compared to the ordinary people. The peasants, artisans, fishermen, traders and slaves were the ones who provided for the Nobles, officials and the King.  They grew and provided food for the ruling classes and also handcrafted the luxury items for the ruling classes.   

The land was owned by the Nobles, however, this was where the majority of ordinary people lived.  Their housing was much more simple than the houses lived in by the nobles in Angkor and their daily lives filled with hard work to provide food and goods for trade.  

Also the way children were educated as a stark difference between the classes.  The male children of the ruling were given a formal education whilst the children of the ordinary people were usually raised and taught their father's skills.   



Conclusion

On the surface it would appear that the Khmer Empire was a     society basically divided into rich and poor, however, in reality it was a complete and efficient society based on religion and the daily needs of the citizens.  Each person was born into a certain, practical role in society, with each class being dependent on the others in order to maintain the balance.  Every person contributed to society resulting in every person receiving what they needed to survive.

The influence of Buddhism as the basis of society created for a harmonious society even though the lifestyles of the Kings and nobles was far more opulent than the lower classes.  The difference between the classes was quite stark but despite this, the ordinary people were crucial to the survival of the ruling classes, providing them with the basics of life such as food.  It is only their belief in karma and the chance to return in their next life, perhaps in a better position, that helped them to accept their situation.

As a result of this structure and its beliefs the Khmer Empire was a successful class system.   


original video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OljJ4UKIwO8