Caste system and laws
There are many similarities between Indian caste system and Southeast Asian hierarchy. For example, both systems suggest that no one is equal, and that everyone has their own place and rank in the society. However, Southeast Asians adapted the Indian culture according to the local context, not using the Hindu caste system completely. A more concrete example would be how the Burmese rejected the idea of the hierarchical caste system and placed women at a high status in their society.
Moreover, Indian codes of law, administration and several sacred laws of Hinduism were established in all Indianized kingdoms and were used back then (evident in the ancient inscriptions). At the court of justice, there was also a reciter of dharmashastra (treaties of Indian philosophy of law) who was to cite the Sanskrit text according to the case being judged. Sanskrit terminology was used for all these legal aspects and just like in India, the higher the social status of the accused, the more severe the punishment was sentenced. The usage of Indian laws in Southeast Asia’s own courts to rule, govern and impose penalties on the accused, is one of the examples of how the ancient empires were influenced by the Indian ideas.