Jayavarman VII Restores and Expands the Khmer Empire
c. 1181 CE · Medieval
Around 1181 CE, Jayavarman VII was crowned king after driving Cham invaders from Angkor, which they had sacked in 1177. He then launched the most ambitious construction program in Southeast Asian history, building the walled capital Angkor Thom, the Bayon temple with its iconic stone faces, Ta Prohm, Preah Khan, and a network of over 100 hospitals and rest houses across the empire. He converted the state religion from Hinduism to Mahayana Buddhism. Under his rule the Khmer Empire reached its maximum territorial extent, encompassing much of modern Cambodia, Thailand, Laos, and southern Vietnam.
Key Figures
Jayavarman VII
Locations
Angkor Wat
Topics
Khmer Empiremonumental architectureBuddhismSoutheast Asiahydraulic engineering
Connected Events — 3 Connections
Jayavarman VII inherited Angkor Wat, built just 30 years earlier under Suryavarman II, and expanded the capital with Angkor Thom and the Bayon temple complex Angkor Wat Built
Jayavarman VII drove out the Cham invaders who had sacked Angkor; the Champa kingdom later allied with the Mongol-Yuan dynasty against Dai Viet, connecting the Khmer restoration to the broader Mongol campaigns in Southeast Asia Tran Hung Dao Defeats Mongol Fleet at the Battle of Bach Dang
Ayutthaya had conquered and absorbed much of the former Khmer Empire's territory after Angkor's decline, making it the dominant power in mainland Southeast Asia until the Burmese destruction Burmese Forces Sack and Destroy Ayutthaya
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