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Cambodia–India relations

Cambodian–Indian relations
Map indicating locations of India and Cambodia

India
Cambodia
Diplomatic mission
Embassy of India, Phnom PenhRoyal Embassy of Cambodia, New Delhi
Envoy
Ambassador B. VanlalvawnaAmbassador Ung Sean

Cambodia–India relations (Khmer: ទំនាក់ទំនងកម្ពុជា-ឥណ្ឌា), also known as Cambodian-Indian relations, are the bilateral relations between the Kingdom of Cambodia and the India. Cambodia has an embassy in New Delhi, and India has an embassy in Phnom Penh.

History

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Relations between Cambodia and India goes back to ancient times. India's influence in Cambodia is visible from the Hindu-style temples of Angkor Wat to written Khmer, which is a derivative of the Pallava script from present-day southern India.[1] There was Chola-Khmer alliance against Srivajaya and Tambralinga. Khmer kings also adopted Indian ideas of kingship, with titles such as chakravartin(universal ruler )and devaraja(god king).[2]

The study "Indian Genetic Heritage in Southeast Asian Populations" (PLOS Genetics, 2022) reveals that present-day Cambodians, particularly the Khmer, possess around 9–12% South Asian (Indian) genetic ancestry, primarily from groups such as Irula, Mala, and Bengali. This admixture likely occurred between 770 and 3300 years ago, aligning with the Angkorian period, when Indianized states like Funan flourished in Cambodia. Genetic methods such as ADMIXTURE, qpAdm, and SOURCEFIND confirm this ancestry and indicate that the spread of Indian culture in Cambodia involved actual migration and intermarriage, not just trade or cultural diffusion. Other evidences are from the 3rd to 5th century BCE, the fossils of humans from that period show 45-50% ancestry from East Indians like Bihar, Bengal etc.


The findings also support legends like that of Kaudinya, the Indian Brahmin who co-founded Funan, and highlight multiple waves of Indian migration shaping Cambodia’s genetic landscape.[3][4] Ancient DNA analysis of a Protohistoric Cambodian individual (1st-3rd centuries CE) revealed a significant South Asian genetic admixture (42-49%), primarily linked to Southern Indian populations, indicating much earlier genetic exchange than previously thought. This contrasts with the lower South Asian ancestry seen in present-day Cambodians (9-15%), and suggests that South Asians admixed with local populations around the time of the early Funan state, potentially influencing the region's cultural development.[4]

Both nations are part of the Non-Aligned Movement.[5] India established formal diplomatic relations with the People's Republic of Kampuchea and opened its embassy in Phnom Penh in 1981 when Cambodia was internationally isolated. India had provided various personnel to conduct the country's UNTAC-sponsored elections in 1993. The Government of India agreed to preserve Angkor Wat temple when the Government of Cambodia appealed, between 1986 and 1993 and spent around 4 million dollars during this conservation.[6]

While Cambodia has historically aligned itself more with the People's Republic of China, India's greatest geopolitical rival, Theravāda Buddhism is the country's state religion, practiced by around 95% of the population, and its intrinsic Indian culture has considerably impacted the society and culture. [citation needed]

State visits

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Cambodian prime minister Hun Sen meets with Indian prime minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi, 27 January 2018.

The former President of India, Pratibha Patil, visited Cambodia in 2010 on a state visit and asked the Indian diaspora in the country to, "be the bridge between the two countries to access knowledge, expertise, resources and markets for the development of the country of their origin". While human resource development and capacity building have been the primary focus of our bilateral relations, India is extremely happy to cooperate with Cambodia in infrastructural projects, as well as in projects related to conservation and preservation of historical monuments.[7]"

Prime Minister Samdech Hun Sen visited India in January 2018. The two countries signed four key agreement to enhance bilateral cooperation during the visit. The agreements include an MoU on the prevention of human trafficking, a mutual legal assistance treaty in criminal matters, a cultural exchange programme, and a $36.92 million line of credit from India to help develop the Stung Sva Hab water resource development project. India and Cambodia also agreed on facilitating exchanges between senior-level defence personnel and capacity-building projects, and also jointly endorsed the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).[8][9]

Indian diaspora in Cambodia

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Main article: Indians in Cambodia

The first Indians in modern times to settle in Cambodia arrived in the 1960s and 1970s. Primarily coming from the northern province of Punjab, they worked as jewellers, moneylenders and traders around Central Market, but they left the country once the Khmer Rouge arrived. The Indians returned to Cambodia when Pol Pot's regime collapsed.

There is an Indian diaspora in Cambodia and they have established an Indian Association, Cambodia.[10]

References

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  1. ^ "Khmer (Cambodian) alphabet, pronunciation and language". omniglot.com. Archived from the original on 13 February 2012. Retrieved 7 June 2018.
  2. ^ "Devarāja | Hinduism, Khmer Empire, Angkor Wat | Britannica". www.britannica.com. Retrieved 25 May 2025.
  3. ^ Changmai, Piya; Jaisamut, Kitipong; Kampuansai, Jatupol; Kutanan, Wibhu; Altınışık, N. Ezgi; Flegontova, Olga; Inta, Angkhana; Yüncü, Eren; Boonthai, Worrawit; Pamjav, Horolma; Reich, David; Flegontov, Pavel (February 2022). "Indian genetic heritage in Southeast Asian populations". PLOS Genetics. 18 (2): e1010036. doi:10.1371/journal.pgen.1010036. ISSN 1553-7404. PMC 8853555. PMID 35176016.
  4. ^ a b Changmai, Piya; Pinhasi, Ron; Pietrusewsky, Michael; Stark, Miriam T.; Ikehara-Quebral, Rona Michi; Reich, David; Flegontov, Pavel (29 December 2022). "Ancient DNA from Protohistoric Period Cambodia indicates that South Asians admixed with local populations as early as 1st–3rd centuries CE". Scientific Reports. 12 (1): 22507. Bibcode:2022NatSR..1222507C. doi:10.1038/s41598-022-26799-3. ISSN 2045-2322. PMC 9800559. PMID 36581666.
  5. ^ "NAM Member States". Archived from the original on 9 December 2010. Retrieved 3 May 2012.
  6. ^ "Sorry for the inconvenience".
  7. ^ "India, Cambodia can cooperate in various fields: Pratibha Patil". dna. 13 September 2010.
  8. ^ "India, Cambodia ink 4 pacts, agree to boost connectivity, defence ties – Times of India". The Times of India. 28 January 2018. Retrieved 11 February 2018.
  9. ^ Pioneer, The. "India, Cambodia sign 4 agreements". The Pioneer. Retrieved 11 February 2018.
  10. ^ http://www.iac-[permanent dead link] cambodia.org/cam_ind_relations.php

Further reading

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  • Lokesh, Chandra, & International Academy of Indian Culture. (2000). Society and culture of Southeast Asia: Continuities and changes. New Delhi: International Academy of Indian Culture and Aditya Prakashan.
  • Cœdès, George (1968). Walter F. Vella (ed.). The Indianized States of Southeast Asia. trans. Susan Brown Cowing. University of Hawaii Press. ISBN 978-0-8248-0368-1.
  • R. C. Majumdar, Study of Sanskrit in South-East Asia
  • R. C. Majumdar, Champa, Ancient Indian Colonies in the Far East, Vol.I, Lahore, 1927. ISBN 0-8364-2802-1
  • R. C. Majumdar, Suvarnadvipa, Ancient Indian Colonies in the Far East, Vol.II, Calcutta,
  • R. C. Majumdar, Kambuja Desa or an Ancient Hindu Colony in Cambodia, Madras, 1944
  • R. C. Majumdar, Hindu Colonies in the Far East, Calcutta, 1944, ISBN 99910-0-001-1
  • R. C. Majumdar, India and South-East Asia, I.S.P.Q.S. History and Archaeology Series Vol. 6, 1979, ISBN 81-7018-046-5.
  • R. C. Majumdar, Ancient Indian colonisation in South-East Asia; History of the Hindu Colonization and Hindu Culture in South-East Asia
  • Daigorō Chihara (1996). Hindu-Buddhist Architecture in Southeast Asia. BRILL. ISBN 90-04-10512-3.