In contemporary Cambodia, Brahmin priests stand at the intersection of Buddhist devotion, royal symbolism, and ancient Khmer ritual memory. They appear most visibly in royal and state ceremonies, where they conduct coronation rites, royal blessings, and national rituals that seek protection and stability for the kingdom. In these contexts they recite Sanskrit or Vedic-derived mantras, perform fire offerings, and anoint or bless with consecrated water, often invoking Hindu deities as guardians of the realm. Their presence underscores a vision of kingship and statecraft in which Buddhist merit-making and Hindu cosmology are woven together into a single ritual fabric.

Beyond the strictly political sphere, Brahmin priests also participate in life‑cycle and auspicious rites, particularly for royal and high‑status families. They officiate or assist in wedding ceremonies, house‑blessings, business openings, and other protective or prosperity‑oriented rituals, working in parallel with Buddhist monks. In such ceremonies they focus on auspicious timing, worldly well‑being, and protection from misfortune, using mantras, sacred threads, and consecrated water. Their role in agricultural and seasonal rites, such as ceremonies for fertility and harvest, further reflects an enduring concern with the harmony between human society, the land, and the unseen powers believed to sustain both.

At the level of religious symbolism, these priests function as custodians of a ritual lineage that reaches back to the Angkorian past. They maintain and perform rites for royal shrines and ancestral spirits, and in some settings they care for Hindu shrines or images that exist within a predominantly Buddhist landscape. Working alongside monks rather than in opposition to them, they handle those elements of ceremony grounded in Hindu cosmology and royal cult, while monks emphasize Buddhist teachings and merit. In this way, Cambodian religious life does not simply alternate between “Hindu” and “Buddhist” forms; instead, it allows both to coexist in a carefully balanced ritual partnership that expresses continuity with ancient tradition while serving the needs of a Buddhist society.