Hares in Khmer Culture

Abstract

Hares have long been a part of the lives of Khmer
people as they can be seen in stone sculptures in many
Cambodian temples and folktales. Khmer people admire the
loveliness of hares and also see the hare figure as the symbol
of cunningness. When Cambodia adopted Buddhism and
Brahma from India, the hare figure was integrated into these
two religious beliefs. For instance, a carved-figure of a hare
was found in a stone carving narrating an episode of Hindu
mythology called the Churning of the Ocean found at
Kusuantang in Thailand. Moreover, in a Buddhism allegory,
Sasapandita Jataka, the virtue of a hare was also acclaimed,
giving rise to the full moon festival in Cambodia. Such cultural
evidence well reflects the importance of the hare figure in
Khmer culture.