Calligraphic stone epigraphs in Sanskrit and Khmer are the sole locally written sources for the earliest Khmer history. Dominic Goodall’s lecture is structured around quotations from Kālidāsa’s Raghuvaṃśa, an influential idealisation of classical Indian kingship, juxtaposed with Cambodian inscriptions that echo its ideals, but often in a way that rings false, belying Khmer realities. The themes explored include patrilines, military conquest as the dharma of kings, the symbiosis of Kṣatriyas and brahmins, and the protection of the ideal social order (varṇāśramadharma).
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Kālidāsa’s Kingship among the Khmers
Dominic Goodall is Sanskritist and Professor (directeur d’études) at the Ecole française d'Extrême-Orient, Pondicherry, India.
About the J. Gonda Fund
The J. Gonda Fund Foundation supports the scholarly study of Sanskrit, other classical Indian languages and literatures, and Indian cultural history.
Since 1992, the Foundation has fundhttps://www.knaw.nl/en/funds-and-prizes/j-gonda-foundation-fundinged projects, fellowships and scholarly publications and re-issues of existing works. It also organises and publishes the annual Gonda Lecture. The Foundation’s assets consist of the estate of Indologist Jan Gonda, who was a member of the Academy.