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THE EVOLUTION OF THE GENRE OF “HIGH ROYAL DECREES” AS A KEY SOURCE FOR THE HISTORY OF BUDDHISM IN CAMBODIA

Phunthasane Phra Paron(JayānandoBhikkhu)  (Postgraduate student (PhD) Banzarov Buryat State University (BSU), Ulan-Ude, Russia )

This article presents a multidisciplinary genre analysis of Cambodia’s High Royal Decrees, charting their development from Angkorian stone inscriptions (9th–15th centuries) through palm-leaf legal compilations and Chbap didactic poems (15th–19th centuries), to the Ordonnance Royale issued under the French Protectorate, and finally to the modern Preah Reach Kret (royal decrees) and Preah Reach Kram (royal laws) promulgated since 1993. Combining epigraphic study, historical and socio-cultural approaches, politico-legal analysis, and critical discourse examination, the research highlights the mechanisms of sacred legitimation—transitioning from the Angkorian concept of devarāja (“divine ruler”) to the post-Angkorian ideal of dhammarāja (“righteous ruler”)—and explains how these documents have shaped Buddhist identity and the institutional framework of the Cambodian Sangha. By tracing the uninterrupted function of this genre as a conduit between monarchy and Buddhism, the article addresses a significant lacuna in Russian-language historiography and demonstrates the enduring role of royal legislation in Cambodian religious and political history.

Keywords:High Royal Decrees; royal decree; Cambodia; Buddhism; Sangha; devarāja; dhammarāja; source studies; Buddhology; religious studies
 

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Citation link:
Phunthasane P. P. THE EVOLUTION OF THE GENRE OF “HIGH ROYAL DECREES” AS A KEY SOURCE FOR THE HISTORY OF BUDDHISM IN CAMBODIA // Современная наука: актуальные проблемы теории и практики. Серия: ГУМАНИТАРНЫЕ НАУКИ. -2025. -№06/3. -С. 49-56 DOI 10.37882/2223-2982.2025.6-3.31
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