Champa

Group of political territories of Cham people that encompassed modern-day central and south Vietnam between the second century CE and 1832. The name Champa may derive from the Sanskrit champaka, which refers to a species of magnolia trees; a few scholars have proposed other origins for the name. People in Champa maintained longstanding trade relations with parts of coastal South Asia. Hinduism — specifically, Shaivism — significantly influenced the culture and politics of Champa, and was for many periods in history the dominant religion in the region, albeit in a syncretic form, merged with Cham practices and beliefs. Buddhism and Islam were also prominent, and most Cham people today are adherents of a similarly syncretic form of Islam.