Buddha-Jayanti in Cambodia

Abstract

This article explores the relation of ritual to state and national identity at acrucial moment in Cambodian history. In 1957 the Buddha-Jayanti, or the 2500 year anniversary of the Buddha entering nirvana, was celebrated throughout many countries of Asia. Millenarian interpretations of the event coincided with the fact that several Buddhist countries, including Cambodia, had just achieved independence. Under the direction of the head of state, Prince Norodom Sihanouk, the Cambodian festivities were particularly far-reaching. Taking place the week of Wesak, they involved the instalation of a Buddha relic brought from Sri Lanka in a newly constructed stupa. The article explores the way the event had both political and religious overtones and the way it served to crystalize aspects of Cambodian identity at a significant time.