SIEM REAP — Temples and monuments in Cambodia were built over centuries by monarchs whose reigns were marked by victories as well as tragedies.

From the smaller temples in the southern part of today’s Cambodia to the enormous stone cities toward the north, these monuments and systems of roads, canals and water reservoirs reflect the monarchs who were set on strengthening their empire.

One of the most studied periods of Cambodia is the Khmer Empire whose start has been set at 802 and end in 1431, a period during which Angkor became the capital of an ever growing empire with temples and city infrastructure that contributed to its fame—and still does—such as those built during the reigns of King Suryavarman II and King Jayavarman VII.

In the final years of his reign in the late 1140s, King Suryavarman II—who had the temple of Angkor Wat built--led his army to confront the Dai Viet empire of today’s northern Vietnam.

According to the book “Angkor: The Manual for the Past, Present and Future” written by Ang Choulean, Eric Prenowitz and Ashley Thompson, the confrontation did not favour the Khmer king and the defeat affected his empire. Subsequently, the lack of defence made it possible for the Cham army to invade and fragment the kingdom in 1177.

Waiting for the right moment, King Jayavarman VII led his army to gradually reclaim the territory taken over by the Chams. This involved a maritime battle on the Tonle Sap lake that would be etched in stone on the bas-reliefs of the Bayon temple at Angkor. The battle showed the Chams that the Khmer army had become a force to be reckoned with.

In 1181, the kingdom regained its independence. King Jayavarman VII declared Mahayana Buddhism the official religion of the kngdom, and set his capital at Yasodharapura or Yosothor, which is today the Angkor Archeological Park.

According to the book ‘King Jayavarman VII’ written by the NGO Sipar—which publishes and makes books written in Khmer available across the country through permanent and travelling libraries—the king was born in the mid-12th century during the reign of King Suryavarman II. He crowned himself in 1182 after liberating his kingdom from the Chams. He was the first monarch in Khmer history to opt for Mahayana Buddhism rather than Hinduism. His reign has been considered the apogee of the Khmer empire.

During his reign, King Jayavarman VII went about honouring his predecessors as well as his own ancestors, building his capital and large religious monuments. Ta Prohm was constructed to honour his mother and Preah Khan his father. The Bayon was his own temple standing in the exact centre of his capital city of Angkor.

Caption: The temple of Ta Prohm viewing from the interior. 

Caption: The temple of Preah Khan viewing from above.

Caption: The temple of Bayon viewing from above.

A temporary city that was named Negara Jayasri (or Nagarajayacri) was built in the area around the Preah Khan temple along the Jayatataka baray, or water reservoir, where was also located the Neak Poan temple, explained Chea Sareth, an archaeologist with the APSARA National Authority—the Cambodian government body managing the Angkor Archeological Park.

Caption: Chea Sareth, an archaeologist with the APSARA National Authority, during an interview with Sem Vanna, a journalist from ThmeyThmey Digital Media.

Chea Sareth: The Preah Khan temple was at the centre of the city of Negara Jayasri. It was also meant to mark [the king’s] victory over the Chams. The temple was built as a Mahayana Buddhist temple and a statue of a bodhisattva [one who seeks awakening] was housed representing his father. Five years after his victory, the king built the Ta Prohm temple for his mother and Preah Khan for his father.

(With the building of Preah Khan around 1191), the city of Jayasri had three monuments. There were the temples of Preah Khan, Neak Poan [or Neak Pean] and Ta Som. The inscription on the Preah Khan stele speaks of city management here. Later on, Jayavarman VII went to the city of Angkor Thom to restore and expand its already existing infrastructure [and making it the capital of his kingdom].

“Water politics” was one of the many ways King Jayavarman VII used to bond the kingdom together. Rainwater coming down the sacred mountain of Kulen flows into the Jayatataka baray before being directed via canals and other waterways toward ponds and moats for agriculture and daily use. A number of laterite bridges were built to meet people’s needs. Chea Sareth sheds some light on the extensive network of cities during that period.

Chea Sareth: Away from Angkor to the east, we have the Nokor Bachey​ temple in Kampong Cham province. To the northeast, there is the temple Preah Khan of Kampong Svay in Preah Vihear province. To the south, we reach the Ta Prohm temple of Tonle Bati in Takeo province. And to the northwest, we reach the Banteay Chhmar temple in Banteay Meanchey province, which is located next to connecting roads and irrigation systems.

Suom Sophea, who is also an archaeologist with the APSARA Authority, offered his insight on the extent of the kingdom that in some areas spread beyond present-day borders.

Caption: Suom Sophea, an archaeologist with the APSARA Authority.

Suom Sophea: During the reign of King Yasovarman I [in the late 9th-early 10th centuries], ashrams [secluded dwelling for Hindu sages] were built as locations for education and accommodations for people travelling from far away. When King Jayavarman VII came into power, this concept was significantly extended throughout the kingdom.

As far as we can know, there were at least seven major routes leading from the region of Angkor, one going from the Takav gate of Angkor Thom city all the way to Sdok Kok Thom temple and Phimai temple today located in Thailand.

Another road ran to the Beng Mealea temple in Siem Reap province before diverging toward the Koh Ker temple and the Preah Khan of Kampong Svay in Preah Vihear province. Another route led to the area of the Sambor Prei Kuk temple in today’s Kampong Thom province along the National Road 6. However, from the district of Kampong Kdei, traces of roads are now gone.

The temples of the Khmer Empire came in different shapes, sizes and styles. One of the prominent temples is the Bayon, which is an architectural masterpiece built by King Jayavarman VII right at the centre of his capital city of Angkor. To many, it is synonymous with the smiling faces on top of the towers standing against the sky.

Suom Sophea: This design with these 54 four-faced towers was an architectural style introduced during the period of King Jayavarman VII. Some believe that these faces represent Avalokitesvara, a Bodhisattva from Mahayana Buddhism to which the Bayon temple is dedicated. Others believe that the faces represent King Jayavarman VII since he was a believer in Mahayana Buddhism.

Since temples built by King Jayavarman VII were also dedicated to Avalokitesvara, a deity of compassion, it has been suggested that this philosophy and beliefs led the king to establish hospitals, or Arogyashala, and dharamshala, or rest houses, across the kingdom to systematically accommodate the sick and travellers.

Chea Sareth: Researchers have discovered 112 hospitals, and 121 dharamshals across the former territory of the Khmer Empire built during the reign of King Jayavarman VII. Inside the sacred hall of a hospital, a pedestal on which were statues of Bhaisajyaguru, the Buddha of Medicine, Chandra [Moon God] and Surya [Sun God] to be revered.

In the Angkor Thom city archaeological complex, sites of four hospitals of this kind situated at the four cardinal points of the complex were identified. To the north, we have the temple of Tonle S’ngout, which was restored by the APSARA National Authority in 2021. To the east, we have the temple of Leak Neang, to the south the temple of Ta Prohm Kel, which is currently under restoration, and to the west Tra Moung temple that APSARA Authority is planning to soon restore. As of today, what we can see of the hospitals are the sacred halls. The doctors’ houses, patients’ houses and medicine storage facilities did not stand the test of time.

Mao Sokny, an engineer with the APSARA National Authority who is working on the restoration of the Ta Prohm Kel temple, spoke of how impressive these Khmer hospitals were.

Caption: Mao Sokny, an architect with APSARA’s Department of Conservation of Monuments and Preventive Archaeology. Photo: APSARA

Mao Sokny: A hospital consisted of an enclosure wall with an entrance to the east and, inside, a library on the southeast side and a main tower in the middle where religious rituals and ceremonies were carried out. The sculpted scenes depict people working with medicines. These bas-reliefs have fascinated many foreign tourists as they wonder what exactly were the hospitals of King Jayavarman VII.

In order to protect the heart of his city, King Jayavarman VII constructed a large enclosure wall measuring 3 kilometres on each of its four sides and along which was dug a moat of roughly the same length. At each corner of the enclosure wall, the king constructed a temple known today as the Chrung temples.

To cross the moat, 5 stone bridges, that is, two on the eastern side and three on each of the three other sides, were built to go in and out of Angkor Thom city. More than just a means to walk across the moat filled with water, the bridges and gates were built as ornated structures, adorned with masonry exceeding conventional human-size works as they were done in an extremely well-presented way with finely detailed sculptures done in timeless aesthetics.

On each bridge, a cohort of devas (benevolent deities) and asuras (evils) adorned the naga balustrade on both sides. These statues represent the story of the Churning of the Sea of Milk that used to often be sculpted on walls, pediments or lintels.

Behind these architectural marvels, stories and legends, there is a quote by King Jayavarman VII that reflected his philosophy during the Khmer Empire: “The suffering of my people is my suffering.”

Done in Khmer language for ThmeyThmey Digital Media, the story was translated by Ky Chamna for Cambodianess News.

To watch the documentary video in Khmer language, click here.