Brahmanism or Hinduism

Brahmanism and Buddhism are two religions from India that were practiced in Cambodia.

Before the Christian era, India had four sacred texts, rgveda, yajurveda, sámaveda and later, atharvaveda, which together are named the Veda. Brahmanism is the religious concept derived from these texts. According to Indian philosophy, India is seen as the universe and the great Trimúrti gods, Brahma, Visnu and Siva, represent the three stages of the primitive matter: creation (Brahma), conservation (Visnu) and dissolution (Siva).

In the Brahmanic and Buddhist triads found in Khmer art, the supreme god is positioned in the centre. Gods had to be personified for humans to relate to their power.

These three gods are the emanations of a unique supreme god and constitute the Trimúrti. The supreme god is sometimes Siva. Visnu and Siva are the more popular Brahmanist gtods; whereas Brahma himself does not seem to have been popular in Khmer art.

Certain gods are seen as symbols of India’s natural resources. Siva and his wife Uma (Parvatí) symbolize Mount Kailása; Gangaá symbolizes the Gangá River; and Sarasvatím daughter of Siva, symbolizes a river that flows in Northern India.

The wives of the main gods also play an important role. Laksmí (Srí), Visnu’s wife, embodies fortune to be found in nature; Durgá, Siva’s wife, fierceness; Sarasvatí, Brahma’s wife, knowledge and eloquence.

Minor gods coexist with the major gods, and represent the forces of nature. Agní is the fire, Váyu the wind, Váruna the rain and Prthapí the earth.

The Trimúrti gods have to accomplish different tasks to maintain the balance of the universe.

When Visnu reclines on Ananta nága, Brhma appears on a lotus stem coming from the god’s navel; his duty is creation. This scene is often depicted on lintels. Brahma, also named Prájnádhipatí, is represented as a four-armed man with a head with four faces. His attributes are a disc, a spoon, a rosary and a small bottle that contains the water of immortality (amrta). He rides a sacred gander or hamsa.

Visnu in Sanskrit is referred to as Preah Noreay in Cambodia. This go is also referred to by the names of Hari, Bhagavanta, and Ananta. He is the god of conservation. In Khmer art, he is sometimes rarely represented as a two-armed man; more commonly as a four-armed man, or as an eight-armed ma when he is Hari-Kampuchendra. His attributes include a disc, a cakra, a conch, a club and a ball symbolizing the Earth. He rides a garuda, a half-man half-bird animal.

Visnu incarnates in many ways. The ten most famous incarnations are Matsya (fish), Kúrma (turtle), Varaha (wild boar), Narasimha (a lion’s head on a human body), Vámana (dwarf), Parasurama (man holding an axe), Ráma (in the Reamkerti epic), Krsna, Buddha and Kalkin (man with a horse’s head).

Siva in Sanskrit refers to Preah Eiso in Khmer. But this god is also known by the names of Hara, Mahesvara and Rudra, who in Veda texts refers to the god of the mountain. Siva has a duty of dissolution.

He is represented by the linga, the trident, footprints and specific shapes that are human aspects characterized by the third eye, the ‘OM’ sign, and a crescent moon on the front of his chignon or a snake-shaped necklace on his shoulder. He may also be depicted as a long-bearded ascetic.

The god’s main attributes are a drum, a flask, a rosary, a human skull, a trident, or a snare. He rides the bull Nandin.

In its infancy, as early as the 6^th century, Khmer art depicts no human representations of Siva; the god was only represented in the shape of the linga. However, by the 9^th century, anthropomorphic depictions of Siva emerge with the Preah Ko period.

Most of the sculptures in the round to be found in the museum’s collections represent Siva as a two-armed character, whereas the temple bas-reliefs depict him as a being with up to four, eight, ten and even more, arms.

In addition to the three major gods, there are several minor gods such as Indra, Agní, Váruna, Yama and Candra. Unlike the major gods, there are no depictions of their spouses in the museum’s collections. The three major gods’ sakti are seen as their female equivalent, the god’s energy: Saravastí, Srí / Laksmí and Umá.

Brahma’s sakti

George Coedes presented two bronze statuettes of Sarasvatí, Brahma’s sakti, found in Thailand. The first one has the third eye and hold the rosary, aksamala, in her left hand and the sacred book in her right hand. The second one holds the rosary (?) in her right hand and a stick in her left hand.

Saveros Pou tells us that Sarasvatí is the goddess of eloquence as well as the master of the arts and general knowledge. She further explains that in present-day Cambodia, the name of the goddess has become Samdei, speech, as well as the verb to say. The museum does not possess a sculpture of this goddess.

 

Visnu’s sakti

Visnu’s sakti is named Srí or Laksmí, She is first mentioned in the story of the Churning of the Sea of Milk. At that time she is endowed with all the characteristics to seduce a great many gods and, as such, she in named ‘Padma’ or ‘Botum’, lotus flower. This is why she holds a lots flower as an attribute.

Laksmí is is the goddess of fortune and beauty. Her sister-in-low is Durgá, Siva’s wife, meaning that Durgá is Visn’s sister. She is also known by the name of ‘Bhúdeví’, goddess of the earth, and represented by the lotus flowers that she holds in both hands.

In Khmer art, Bhudevi and Laksmi is the same goddess and their attributes is one or two lotus flowers held in their hands.

 

Siva’s sakti

Siva has only one wife, represented by different goddesses: Uma the helpful, Parvari the daughter of the king of the mountain, Drga the fierce, Kali the darkness (or time), Gauri of unparalleled beauty, Sati the virtuous.

The museum owns sculptures showing the different aspects of Umá and Durgá (Parvatí). Umá, with two arms, symbolizes benevolence, while Durgá, with four arms, symbolizes aloofness.

In addition to the primary and secondary gods, one must not forget the demigods such as Nága, called Ananta or Sesa, when Visnu reclines on him or Visuki in the Churning of the Sea of Milk; Yaksa; Gandhabha, Apsara’s partner; Vidhyádhara and Kinnara.

We must also consider the union between the two major gods, Visnu and Síva, who, when united, form a unique god named Harihara. Hari refers to Visnu, while hara refers to Síva.

According to studies on the museum’s Harihara, it is reasonable to tjink that the Khmer kings probably worshipped this since the Tchen-la era.

Again in the museum, one can see a 13^th century statue of Ardhanárísvara, whose right side represents Siva and whose left side represents his wife, Umá. 

 

Head of an ascetic

Triads can be found in both Brahnanism and Buddhism. Each Brahmanic triad follows a specific code. Siva is positioned between Visnu and his wife, or alternaticely, Visnu is in the centre, with his wife and Siva at his side.

 

Prahmanic triad

 Prahmanic triad

The Buddhist triad may show Buddha between Lokescara and Prájnápáramitá, or Buddha surrounded by two Lokesvara. The museum does not own any combined triad of both Brahmanic and Buddhist deities.

 Buddhist triad

Buddhist triad

The influence of Brahmanism on Khmer society has fostered a rich artistic production. Someworks of art focus on depicting religious characters and their actions, while others illustrate episodes from the Reamkerti or the Mahábhárata.