Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
History
'The good, the bad and the ugly' is a simple way to sum up Cambodian history. Th-
ings were good in the early years, culminating in the vast Angkor empire, unrivalled
in the region during four centuries of dominance. Then the bad set in, from the 13th
century, as ascendant neighbours steadily chipped away at Cambodian territory. In
the 20th century it turned downright ugly, as a brutal civil war culminated in the gen-
ocidal rule of the Khmer Rouge (1975-79), from which Cambodia is still recovering
today.
JAYAVARMAN VII
A devout follower of Mahayana Buddhism, Jayavarman VII (r 1181-1219) built the city of Angkor
Thom and many other massive monuments. Indeed, many of the temples visited around Angkor today
were constructed during Jayavarman VII's reign. However
,
Jayavarman VII is a figure of many contra-
dictions. The bas-reliefs of the Bayon depict him presiding over battles of terrible ferocity, while statues
of the king depict a meditative, otherworldly aspect. His program of temple construction and other pub-
lic works was carried out in great haste, no doubt bringing enormous hardship to the labourers who
provided the muscle, and thus accelerating the decline of the empire. He was partly driven by a desire
to legitimise his rule, as there may have been other contenders closer to the royal bloodline, and partly
by the need to introduce a new religion to a population predominantly Hindu in faith. However, in
many ways he was also Cambodia's first progressive leader, proclaiming the population equal, abolish-
ing castes and embarking on a program of school, hospital and road building.
