The Khmer Empire reached from what is now southern Vietnam to Yunan, China and from Vietnam westward to the Bay of Bengal. This includes the Mekong Valley. The land of Angkor was chosen as a settlement site because of its strategic military position (Angkor 1).
In 790 AD, a Cambodian prince took the name Jayavarman II and ruled over the Khmer Empire of Angkor. (Cambodia 1) He, as most kings, was worshipped as a god. The king's symbol of divine authority was Shiva Lingum thus, Lingum became the official state religion. Angkor became a great pilgrimage destination because of the cult of Devaraja, the 'god-king.' The temples that the Khmer kings built functioned as the locus of the cult of the Devaraja and was a symbolic representation of the mythical Mt. Meru, the home of the Hindu gods (Angkor 1).
The next king was Indravarman I. He built a large reservoir and temples of stone rather than of brick. His son, Yasovarman took over next. A 2.5 mile wide wall on each side of the city was built. Yasovarman was said to be tolerant of Hindu and Buddhist groups, which sometimes blended into cults (Cambodia 1). Many kings identified themselves with the Hindu god Vishun (Angkor 1). With each king the capital was moved closer and closer to Siam Reap.
Perhaps the most influential monarch/ king was Suryavarman II. He avenged the attacks made on Angkor from the Champa Kingdom. He also renewed relations with China. His biggest accomplishment was Angkor Wat. It has more than 100 temples and is the biggest religious structure in the world. It has imposing towers, causeways, a moat, central chambers, long galleries and pavilions. The galleries are decorated with hundreds of temple dancers, soldiers on elephants and armies of men and monkeys marching into battle (Module 13).
Angkor was finally taken over by the Champa in 1431. The Khmer Empire abandoned Angkor by 1432. Jayavarman VII then took control of Champa. He rebuilt the city and Angkor Wat. In the 1900's the French began an immense restoration project on Angkor Wat. In the 70's and 80's military fighting prevented further renovations. Today, Angkor Wat ranks amongst the ten greatest structures of human civilizations (Angkor 1).
The History of Cambodia (Pg 1-2)
Module 13-cite unknown
Jenny Fields