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Cambodia religion

Cambodia religion

When speaking about religion in Cambodia you can easily find Buddhism, Hinduism, Christianity, Islam and Animism. Among this Buddhism is considered to be the major religion in Cambodia since almost 95% of people in Cambodia are following Buddhism, especially Theravada Buddhist being the most of them. But the first religion to be followed in Cambodia is Hinduism which was followed by the people of the Funan Empire, considered to be the first empire in Cambodian history. Let us have a brief look at their religions and their impact on Cambodian culture.

Head of sangha (MCFA)Approximately 95 per cent of the Cambodian population follows Therevada or Hinayana Buddhism, though this is strongly overlaid with ancestor-worship and animist practices.
Over the centuries Buddhist temples (wats) developed an important role in the preservation of culture and the provision of education, especially in rural areas.
However, during the 1970s Buddhists were severely persecuted by the Khmer Rouge. Monks were forced to do manual labour with the rest of the population and many lost their lives; most of the country’s wats were destroyed during this period. Since the 1980s, with the encouragement of the government, Buddhism has undergone a remarkable revival and is now recognised in the Cambodian Constitution as the state religion.
The Cambodian Buddhist sangha is divided into two distinct sects. Based at Phnom Penh's Wat Ounalom, the larger Mahanikaya sect accounts for some 90 per cent of the clergy; the head of this order is widely recognised as the leader of the Cambodian Buddhist sangha. The smaller Thammayut (royalist) Buddhist sect was introduced from Thailand in 1864 and gained prestige because of its adoption by royalty and aristocracy; it is based at Phnom Penh's Wat Botum.
The Islamic faith is practiced by the Cham-Muslim communities of the south east. Like the Buddhists, Cambodia’s Muslim community also experienced persecution at the hands of the Khmer Rouge and many were killed. There are currently estimated to be around 250 mosques in the country, 90 of which are in Kompong Cham Province.
Christianity accounts for a small but growing community in Phnom Penh and other urban areas. Animism continues to be the dominant faith amongst the hill tribes.

Buddhism in Cambodia

It is believed that Buddhism has been followed by the people of Cambodia since 5th century C.E. There are some sources that reveal that Theravada Buddhism prevails in Cambodia even in the 3rd century B.C.E. Buddhism became the main and the Cambodian state religion right from 13th century C.E. excluding the period of Khmer Rouge.

Hinduism in Cambodia

Being the very oldest and the first religion to be followed in Cambodia, Hinduism was made the main religion of the Khmer Empire. There are only two temples of Brahma available in world and Cambodia is very proud to have one of them in their country. Angkor Wat Hindu temple is the biggest Hindu temple in the world and it is located in Cambodia.

Islam and Christianity

Majority of people of the Cham follow the religion of Islam in Cambodia and it is otherwise called as Khmer Islam and also the minorities of Malay follow Islam. The strength of Christians in Cambodia is around 20,000 during 1972. Christianity in Cambodia started from 1660 by the Roman Catholics.

Local tribal religions

Apart from these major religions there are some local tribal religions available in Cambodia. They entirely constitute about 100,000 persons and they are generally known as the animists.