Jayavarman VII: God-King and Nice Guy
19 November 2010
Jean and I visited the Angkor museum in Siem Reap a few days ago and while a little pricey we found it an invaluable source of information concerning Hinduism, Khmer architecture, and the history of the Khmer empire.
One of the superstars of the antiquity was King Jayavarman VII. In the late 12th century the Khmer empire had faltered. Internal conflicts, rebellion in the provinces and disillusion after several failed military campaigns gave the Cham empire (in modern southern Vietnam) the opportunity to seize power.
The Cham held Angkor for four years before Jayavarman VII rallied the Khmers and recaptured the city. He then proceeded to drive the Cham out of Khmer territory. Later, he would mount a campaign that would take over all of Champa extending the Khmer empire all the way to south Vietnamese coast.
During the struggle with the Cham, J7 was also building and building a lot. During his 40 year reign he constructed his capital Angkor Thom and several expansive temples including Preah Khan, Banteay Kdei, and Ta Prohm.
Jean and I explored his most famous temple, Bayon, after visiting Angkor Wat. Passing beneath the enigmatic, giant stone faces was an eerie experience. Most of the temple's towers feature four carved faces each orient toward one of the cardinal direction. There is debate as to who the faces portray. Loksvara, Buddha, and J7 himself are all possibilities.
With his all military and architectural feats in mind what really won Jean and me over to J7 was his social programs. When he came to power J7 broke with centuries of tradition and made Buddhism the state religion. His goal for the Khmer empire was to make it like heaven on earth. To that end he built over a hundred hospitals throughout the empire and far more rest houses for pilgrims.
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| J7's Facebook Profile Pic |
One of the superstars of the antiquity was King Jayavarman VII. In the late 12th century the Khmer empire had faltered. Internal conflicts, rebellion in the provinces and disillusion after several failed military campaigns gave the Cham empire (in modern southern Vietnam) the opportunity to seize power.
The Cham held Angkor for four years before Jayavarman VII rallied the Khmers and recaptured the city. He then proceeded to drive the Cham out of Khmer territory. Later, he would mount a campaign that would take over all of Champa extending the Khmer empire all the way to south Vietnamese coast.
During the struggle with the Cham, J7 was also building and building a lot. During his 40 year reign he constructed his capital Angkor Thom and several expansive temples including Preah Khan, Banteay Kdei, and Ta Prohm.
Comments
He sounds s good guy.