Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
TEMPLE ADDICTS
The god-kings of Angkor were dedicated builders. Each king was expected to dedicate a temple to his
patron god, most commonly Shiva or Vishnu during the time of Angkor. Then there were the ancest-
ors, including mother, father, and grandparents (both maternal and paternal), which meant another half
dozen temples or more. Finally there was the mausoleum or king's temple, intended to deify the mon-
arch and project his power, and each of these had to be bigger and better than one's predecessor. This
accounts for the staggering architectural productivity of the Khmers at this time and the epic evolution
of temple architecture.
The Golden Age of Angkor
The temples that are now the highlight of a visit to Angkor - Angkor Wat and those in and
around the walled city of Angkor Thom - were built during the golden age or classical
period. While this period is marked by fits of remarkable productivity, it was also a time
of turmoil, conquests and setbacks. The great city of Angkor Thom owes its existence to
the fact that the old city of Angkor, which stood on the same site, was destroyed during
the Cham invasion of 1177.
Suryavarman I (r 1002-49) was a usurper to the throne who won the day through stra-
tegic alliances and military conquests. Although he adopted the Hindu cult of the god-
king, he is thought to have come from a Mahayana Buddhist tradition and may even have
sponsored the growth of Buddhism in Cambodia. Buddhist sculpture certainly became
more commonplace in the Angkor region during his time.
Little physical evidence of Suryavarman I's reign remains at Angkor, but his military
exploits brought much of central Thailand and southern-central Laos under the control of
Angkor. His son Udayadityavarman II (r 1049-65) embarked on further military expedi-
tions, extending the empire once more, and building Baphuon and the Western Mebon.
Many major cities in the Mekong region were important Khmer settlements in the 11th
and 12th centuries, including the Lao capital of Vientiane and the Thai city of Lopburi.
From 1066 until the end of the century, Angkor was again divided as rival factions con-
tested the throne. The first important monarch of this new era was Suryavarman II (r
1112-52), who unified Cambodia and extended Khmer influence to Malaya and Myanmar
(Burma). He also set himself apart religiously from earlier kings through his devotion to
the Hindu deity Vishnu, to whom he consecrated the largest and arguably most magnifi-
cent of all the Angkorian temples, Angkor Wat.
