The area that became the Angkor/Khmer Empire was on the trade routes of Chinese and Indian merchants. Angkor Wat is the largest Hindu temple in the world – dedicated to Vishnu. After a series of military conquests, he organized a federation of conquered areas and their former chiefs and ascended Kulen Mountain for a ceremony in which he identified himself with Shiva, the Hindu god. These merchants brought their religious beliefs with them. However, Buddhism was brought to Cambodia as early as the 5th century AD from the influence of Hindu trading merchants and the Mon kingdoms. Animism believe in the worship of the spirit of departed relatives who have passed away.

The creation of this form of Buddhism by the Khmer empire is an example of the Southeast Asian practice of syncretism. They also believe in the landscape, animals, plants which are very important for food. It was very different to many other religions because Animism does not have any gods or deities. For instance, the first king, Jayavarman II, was Hindu. The Khmer Empire was founded in 802 by Jayavarman II (c. 770–850), who proclaimed himself chakravartin (universal monarch). Initially, Angkor Wat was designed as a Hindu temple, as that was the religion of the region’s ruler at the time, Suryavarman II. The Angkor Civilization (or Khmer Empire) is the name given to an important civilization of southeast Asia, including all of Cambodia, southeastern Thailand, and northern Vietnam, with its classic period dated roughly between 800 to 1300 A.D. Hindu was actually the main religious influence for many years of the Khmer Empire, with only a couple of Buddhist Kings ruling. The Communist Khmer Rouge regime, which opposed and mistrusted religion and education, banned all of Cambodia's traditional arts and its written language. Since the collapse of the Khmer Empire in the 14 th Century, the main religion of Cambodia has been Theravada Buddhism, practiced by over 96% of the population.Another 1.9% of the population is Muslim, made up almost exclusively of Cham and Malay ethnic minorities.Christianity arrived in Cambodia with the European colonizers, though the faith never spread successfully.
Before Cambodia embraced Buddhism, there was Hinduism. The majority of the people living in the Khmer Empire were Buddhist, subscribing to a Khmer form of Buddhism that combined Theravada Buddhism with Hinduism, as well as the animistic practices such as spirit worship. Back in the day, Hinduism was one of the Khmer Empire’s official religions. From the 9th to 12th centuries, the Indian religion Hinduism, became the main religion of the Angkor/Khmer Empire. Animism is a religion that was in the Khmer empire. Answer and Explanation: The Khmer Empire was both Buddhist and Hindu, though Hinduism was quite prominent in the early years of the Empire.