Rámájana v čamské lidové literatuře

The article deals with the religious characterization of two main Cham groups, i.e. Chams worshipping Hindu religion and the Muslim Chams, and with the influence of religious specifics on their social structure. The article further maps the arrival of Islam to the Cham empire (Kingdom of Champa) and the problems of its expansion in this region. -- The acquaintance of Chams with Ramayana, substantiated only from the 15th century, is based on the Vietnamese source – a collection of mythical and legendary fables Li˜nh Nam chích quái. It is actually a shortened and modified version of Indian epic Ramayana. In Champa it has not preserved in a written form, but in a form of Cham epic (akayet) or fairy tale (dalikal). From the religious point of view, it is remarkable that this epic is passed on in a region where in addition to the Hindu Chams the Muslim Chams also live who included it into their folk literature.