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Not until the first century, a civilization seem to emerge as a forerunner of the Angkor. The actual name of this nation is not known, but in the Chinese Chronicles of 2nd century A.D, it was called as Funan. In fact, the word "Funan" is the Chinese pronunciation by toponym for the word "bnam" (or phnom in modern Khmer) which means "mountain". Its location is thought to be centered around the Mekong Delta, and the southern coast of modern Cambodia and Vietnam.

There are evidences that Funan had once been a strong maritime state, actively involving in sea trades. Following the excavation at Oc Eo, believed to be the kingdom's major port located in the modern Vietnamese province of Long Xuyen, the archaeologists found many artifacts which were trade goods and products from India, China, and even as far as those from the Roman Empire to the West.

Being an extensive trader, Funan should have been more or less a powerful naval state with people of learned mind. It was found that Funan had adopted many cultural aspects from India whose civilization had been highly developed several hundreds of years earlier. This was the result of their close contacts with the Indian traders who were also seafaring at that time. The Indian traders brought with them knowledge and thoughts as well as philosophy and religious beliefs which significantly aided the development of this native kingdom.

The importance of Indian civilization over this territory could not be overlooked. Even a myth of Funan itself suggested that the world was created by a "Naga" King, a Hindu water deity, who drank up the flooding waters, and the origin of Funan started from the marriage of an Indian Brahmin Kaundinya to an indigenous "naga" princess named Soma. According to the Chinese Chronicle, the Funan rulers brought in many Indians of Brahmin caste to their courts to help in their administration. It was a known fact that in ancient time the Indian Brahmins is India's highest caste who held all the knowledge responsible for the achievement of Indian civilization.

Apart from cultural elements and religious beliefs of Hinduism and Buddhism from India, the Funanese natives seem to learn the engineering skill as well. Evidences of aerial photographs taken in 1930 show that there were extensive irrigation system in various Funanese settlements, Their ability to turn swamps of Mekong River basin into productive agricultural ground implied that they had good knowledge in agriculture in addition to sea trades.

The process of what the Indian culture had influenced over any other nation was termed by historians as "Indianization". Although the Indian influence affected many aspects of Funanese political and religious structures, surprisingly it did not infiltrate deeply into the life of this native people of Funan. In short, we may call this as "partial Indianization", which was obviously inherited to its successor the Angkor Empire (or Khmer Civilization).

The weakening of the Funan Empire was unclear, and it was overthrown by one of its vassal state of Chenla in early 7th century. The Funanese people were completely absorbed by Chenla as time passed by.

Funan thus had laid a basic foundation for the evolution of Angkor Civilization in later centuries

Minor Reigns (1309 - 1431 A.D.)

Since the reign of Srindravarman, there were very rare historical records, especially of those successive kings following him in the 14th century. The last stele engraved in 1327 was in Pali and there was no more inscription found for the next two centuries. Perhaps the Khmer had changed their practice by writing on the unendurable materials such as the latina leaves and animal's skin rather than by engraving on the stones. Moreover, there were no more major temples or monuments built during this period. Their newly adopted religion of Theravada Buddhism could have played a major role here. As the king was no longer regarded as the god-king or "deva-raja", it was not necessary to build any massive mountain temple to house their gods and to represent the heavenly residence.

During this period, the Khmers were not able to maintain their vast and extensive irrigation systems efficiently. Various dikes and canals were silted up. The rice crops, previously used to be cultivated two to three times a year, dropped drastically since the Khmers could not prevent floods in Monsoon, and did not have enough water storage in the dry season. As productivity dropped, the empire was weaken. Probably, the kings lacked absolute power to mobilize sufficient laborers to maintain their irrigation system.

The first Thai kingdom of Suhkothai, emerged after the Khmers were driven out in the early 13th century, was later absorbed by another Thai state which was established as the Ayuthaya kingdom in 1351 by Ramathibodi I. The Ayuthaya kingdom became a major threat to Angkor Empire with its first attempt to attack the Angkor, but unsuccessfully in 1352. Several more attempts were made in the following years. Not until 1431, the large Thai army marched on the road, built by the last greatest Khmer king Jayavarman VII, from Chao Phaya River Basin through Aranyapathet to attack right at the heart of Angkor and sacked the city that same year. This marked the end of Angkor Empire.

After being seized by the Thai army in 1431, it appeared that the Angkor entered a Dark period as there were rarely any inscription found in later centuries. There are two theories being disputed by the historians about the destiny of Angkor after this year. The first theory said that the city of Angkor was completely abandoned due to the Thai's onslaught and the people fled to take up residence in the south somewhere around 40 km north of Phnompenh. Another theory suggested that the city of Angkor was not completely abandoned at that time, but a different lineage of the Khmer king took the opportunity to establish his own power as a rival state in the south around Phnompenh; the final downfall of the Angkor was actually due to the shift of the economic importance to Phnompenh region which became a growing and flourishing trading center, especially with the Chinese during the 17th and 18th century.

No matter which theory is true; there are undeniable facts to support that the Angkor was not completely forgotten by the people of Khmer. Around 1550-1570, an unknown king of the Angkor attempted to restore a temple without success. Moreover, in the 17th century there were Japanese settlements residing with the Khmer people in the Angkor city, as at least fourteen Japanese inscriptions had been found in the area. One of the most renowned Japanese inscriptions belonged to Ukondafu Kazufusa who had visited the Angkor and celebrated Khmer's New Year there in the year 1632. Anyhow, the city of Angkor was finally abandoned sometimes later, but the definite year and the exact reasons are not known.

Obviously, the West did not know anything about the existence of the Khmer Civilization until a French botanist Henri Mouhot published his finding of this lost empire in 1861 (one year after he rediscovered the Angkor). He was stunned by the magnificence of Angkor Wat and Angkor Thom which were hidden in the jungle. His announcement aroused the interest of the Westerners and subsequently attracted many explorers, historians and archaeologists to further explore and study the lost Khmer Civilization.

In 1863, Cambodia became a French colony. After annexing Siemreap (Angkor) and Battambang from Thailand in 1907, the French had established the Angkor Conservation Center in 1908 to conduct archaeological study of the Angkor Civilization as well as to restore the various Khmer temples. These activities were abruptly ended in 1972 due to the outbreak of civil war followed by the reign of terror by Khmer Rouge (1975-1979). Due to the political problem, Cambodia was close from the outer world until 1990, the year of which, the United Nations sponsored the general election.

Angkor Wat and the other Khmer temples are regarded as the World Heritage by UNESCO in 1992. Their survival needs International assistance and funds. Lying in the tropical rain forest, the temples are consistently invaded by overgrown trees whose roots penetrate the temples' foundation whereas the water helps in its decay. The weakening of their foundations endangered the temples to collapse in the future if no preservation works were done. In addition to the natural conditions, the heritage is also endangered from thefts. According to the UN estimates, each piece of the Khmer artifacts could be sold in the black market to as high as USD 30,000 - USD 300,000, and unfortunately, they are kept in the private museums or homes of the few rich men. Such amount of money raised greed, and of course, attracted more than an ordinary theft, but the organized ones. Since 1994, serious actions have been taken by the Cambodian government in the support of UNESCO to prevent those thefts.

The archaeological activities have been restarted by substantial funding from UNESCO in order to preserve this World Heritage for the future generations.

At the time of this writing in the beginning of New Millennium 2000, Angkor Wat and the other Khmer temples still stand magnificently on the vast plain of Siemreap in Cambodia and are one of the main touristic spots in Southeast Asia!

Reasons for the rise of Angkor Empire
1) The adoption of Indian doctrines of deva-raja or "god-king"

The ancient Khmer kings adopted a successful monarchy system of Indian civilization as the replica. Being revered as the "god-king" or deva-raja, the Khmer kings were able to rule over the empire with divine kingship and absolute power. This enhanced the kings to mobilize large manpower to serve in its military force to defend the nation as well as to invade the neighbors. In addition, the kings could maintain their extensive irrigation system which was the prime factor of its successful economy with their Khmer laborers and foreign slaves.

Moreover, the kings surrounded themselves with the wise men or the "learned" Khmer Brahmins as their counselors. The Brahmins were known to have acquire vast knowledge which were inherited from father to sons or taught only within the family. These learned Brahmins help the kings to run an efficient administration of the country, and thus resulted in stronger empire.

2) Strategic Location

Well-chosen strategic location of the Angkor by its founder Jayavarman II hampered the attack by its potential enemies which enable its existence for over 6 centuries.

The Angkor was situated in the North of Tonle Sap Lake, and the only possible way for invaders to bring in a large enough troop to fight against the Angkor is by sailing upstream from the Mekong River. Geographically, the Angkor was protected by rugged thick forests from all sides. There were no well-developed roads, and the land access with large military force could turn out into a tragedy. The troops and weapons had to be delivered in a long line which could not support one another in case of being attack. A good example is the Persian invasion to the Greeks during the 4th and 5th B.C. Greece for instance was protected by high mountains. Although the Persian was far more superior and much more in number, it could hardly win over the Greeks.

When the enemies intended to attack the Angkor, they have to sail up from the Mekong River only to meet with the strong naval force of Angkor upstream. The enemy's battle ships moved slower thus became an easier target of being attacked and sunk. Throughout the history of over 600 years, Angkor lose only one major naval battle on Tonle Sap Lake to Champa in 1171.

3) Mastery over Water Control

The geographical location of the Angkor Empire itself faces two extreme seasons, i.e. the heavy rainfall during Monsoon and the dry period during the off-Monsoon season. Numerous large reservoirs, dikes, moats and ponds helped significantly to prevent floods over the farmland during the heavy rainfall in Monsoon and to conserve water storage for use during the dry season. The efficient and extensive irrigation system of the ancient Khmer enabled the empire to cultivate crops two to three times a year which led to high productivity and strong economy of the Angkor Empire.

Reasons for the Fall of Angkor Civilization
1) Introduction of Theravada Buddhism

The pillar of the Angkor Civilization was supported by the religious belief of Hinduism and Mahayana Buddhism. The monarchs being regarded as the god-king were able to motivate the dedication of their people to serve the throne as a divine service. The empire's extensive irrigation system and military troops required massive laborers and manpower to maintain. The introduction of Theravada Buddhism in 13th century to the Khmers had turned out to hurt sublimely the basic foundation of the Angkor Empire in the long run. Theravada Buddhism taught the people to seek self-enlightenment, abandon worldly things and discourage any superstition belief which directly or indirectly means all deities and all evils. The sovereignty of the Angkorian monarch as a "god-king" or deva-raja was basically challenged.

2) Loss of Water Control

Less devotion of the people to the "god-king" led negative impact to the empire. The Khmers seem unwilling to work wholeheartedly for the king as a holy service as they had previously did. The formerly efficient irrigation and drainage system became silted up with less water supply and the rice crops, used to be cultivated two or three times a year, were dramatically dropped, thus weaken the productivity and the strength of the Angkor Empire.

3) External Threats

As neighboring states of the Angkor grew, they became a major threat to the empire, especially the Thai State of Ayuthaya in the Chaophaya River Basin to the West. In order to protect the empire, the Angkor had to direct portion of its manpower to secure strong armed forces, which in turn, deprived itself from giving good maintenance to its irrigation system.

4) Double-edged sword of Roads Network

The road network built by Jayavarman VII had aided the transports of products and trades throughout the empire and also facilitated the Khmer troops to quell its neighbors. It had became a double-edged sword when the Angkor became weak as the invaders could easily marched in through this road network, instead of previously sailing up from the Mekong River. This turned out to be true when the newly emerged Ayuthaya, a Thai kingdom in the West became stronger. They use this road to march from the Chaophaya River basin through Phnomrung (in Burirum of modern Thailand) and then through Aranyapathet to attack right at the heart of Angkor and finally sacked the empire in 1431. The glory of the Angkor Civilization was terminated since that time.

Chenla (called by Chinese or "Kambuja" by Khmer) was a more direct ancestor of the Khmer Empire. Its history first appear in the Chinese Chronicles as a Funan's vassal state who gained its independence from Funan around the year 550 A.D. Within the next 60 years, Chenla succeeded to conquer its predecessor the Funan, and gradually absorbed its people as well as inherited the Indian cultures.

The first capital of Chenla, named Isanapura, was established around 613 A.D. at Sambor Prei Kuk in Kompong Thom province of modern Cambodia.

Later on Chenla was divided into northern and southern states, of which the Chinese Chronicles refers to as "Chenla of the Land" and "Chenla of the Sea", respectively. The center of the northern Chenla was at the Champassak province of today southern Laos, whereas that of the Southern Chenla occupied the former Funan's territory along the Mekong Delta and the coast. In 715, both Chenla states were further broken up into several smaller states.

During the 8th century, another naval state emerged into a strong "Java Empire" across the sea. Dispute among the historians about the center of this Java Empire still has not been resolved, as it could be either the Java Island of today Indonenesia or the Malay Peninsula. Java vigorously expanded its territory and sailed to invade and finally conquered the weak Chenla states.

Ironically, the fate of Chenla and the invasion of Java Empire planted the actual seed for the establishment of the Angkor Empire.

The continuous invasions of Java Empire from the sea along the coastal area had laid a significant impact on Chenla and the region. Unable to combat the mighty Java troops, the Khmers had to move gradually westward inland and finally settled on the plain around the northwest of Tonle Sap Lake which was where the Angkor Civilization would be established and became flourished for many centuries.

Jayavarman II, when as a prince, was being held as a Chenla hostage to the Java court. Getting a chance to return to his motherland, he vigorously pursued for powers and became the king in 790 A.D. For the next 12 years, he carried out many battles around the regions and tried to seek a perfect home for his own kingdom.

When Jayavarman II became stronger, he decided to establish his capital Hariharala in the region of Roluos on the plain northwest of Tonle Sap.

In 802, Jayavarman II crowned himself for the second time, which marked as a starting point of the Khmer Civilization and the birth of the Angkor Empire. He made a breakthrough by proclaiming himself to be a universal monarch of Khmer in a ritual ceremony borrowed from Hinduism as a "god-king" or deva-raja. In the ritual, he worshipped god Shiva, a supreme Hindu deity, who was known by the Khmer for a long time as a god of protector. Being revered as a god-king, King Jayavarman II had psychologically asserted his divine kingship over the Khmer of his absolute authority and sovereignty. Moreover, it implied the declaration of Independence from Java Empire.

Adopting the Indian concept of divine kingship was proven to be a very clever strategy and served as a strong root for the steady growth of the Angkor Civilization. A rational reason as of why Jayavarman II adopted this concept could have lie in the fact that the Indian civilization had already been set as a successful example in Indian subcontinent. Every monarch or deva-raja from Jayavarman II onwards was highly revered with divine loyalty. The nation was strongly unified and later evolved into an empire.

Moreover, Jayavarman II did not select the location of his capital at random. He considered its strategic location in term of military. At that time, his potential enemies were in the south and in the east. Situated inland with thick rugged forests, his kingdom could be accessed only through river tributary of Tonle Sap lake. Being at the north of the lake, it meant that his force was at the river upstream which was an added advantage. This also had proved to be a right strategy for the existence of the Angkor Empire for over 600 years as it lost only one major naval battle against Champa in 1177.

After the establishment of Angkor kingdom, Jayavarman II actively waged wars throughout Cambodia and expanded his territory. He built a temple devoted to god Shiva at Phnom Kulen about 40 km northwest of Tonle Sap. King Jayavarman II reigned until 834 A.D.; "Jaya" literally means "victorious" and "varman" - "the protector".

Dated back to 5000 B.C. during neolithic age, there were large settlement of inhabitants, whose origins were unknown, already living in the region. We have scarce knowledge about them but know of their existence from finding of ceramics and stone tools. During those early days, different tribes or races gradually grew into different small kingdoms.

Birth of Angkor (802 - 834 A.D.) Establishment of Angkor by Jayavarman II

Angkor Era (834 - 1000 A.D.)

Jayavarman III (834 - 877 A.D.)
Indravarman I (877-889 A.D.)
Yasovarman I (889 - 910 A.D.)
Harshavarman I (910 - 923 A.D.) and Isanavarman II (923 - 928 A.D)
Jayavarman IV ( 928 - 941 A.D.)
Harshavarman II (941 - 944 A.D)
Rajendravarman II (944 - 968 A.D.)
Jayavarman V (968 - 1000 A.D.)

Angkor Era (1001 - 1181 A.D.)

Udayadityavarman I (1000 - 1002 A.D.) & Jayaviravarman (1002 - 1010 A.D.)
Suryavarman I (1010 - 1050 A.D.)
Udayadityavarman II (1050 - 1066 A.D.)
Harshavarman III (1066 - 1080 A.D.)
Jayavarman VI (1080 - 1107 A.D.)
Dharanindravarman I (1107 - 1113 A.D.)
Suryavarman II (1113 - 1150 A.D.)
Minor Reigns (1150 - 1181 A.D.)

Angkor Era (1181 - 1309 A.D.)

Jayavarman VII (1181 - 1219 A.D.)
Indravarman II (1219 - 1243 A.D.)
Jayavarman VIII (1243 - 1295 A.D.)
Srindravarman (1295 - 1309 A.D.)

Angkor Era (1309 - 1431 A.D.)

Minor Reigns

Jayavarman III (834 - 877 A.D.)

After the death of the first Khmer king, his son Jayavarman III succeeded the throne and reigned for about 40 years. Little account was known about this king, except his story of hunting the white elephants in two circumstances and he could probably build the Prei Monti temple.

Indravarman I (877-889 A.D.)

He was the third king of the Angkor kingdom after Jayavarman III, and was regarded as the first great builder of the Khmer king. How Indravarman I ascended the throne still remains in mystery as he did not seem to have any connection with the two former kings. Indravarman I was a strong man, expanding his territory vigorously throughout Cambodia and moving his capital from Harilaraya to Roluos, about thirteen kilometers east of the present Siemreap town.

Indravarman I built at least two primitive Khmer temples, namely the Preah Ko temple, devoted for his royal ancestral spirits, and the Bakong, a mountain temple dedicated for the Hindu gods. These two temples with another later one Lolei are collectively known as the Roluos Group, and their architecture was more or less a pioneer to the later temples of the Angkor civilization. Indravarman I also built a large reservoir named Indratataka.

Yasovarman I (889 - 910 A.D.)

After succeeding the throne in 889 A.D, Yasovarman I built a new Angkor capital called Yasodharapura, located not far away from Roluos on the vast plain of Siemreap and about eight kilometers north of the the Great Lake Tonle Sap. At the center of this capital was the Phnom Bakeng Hill on top of which a temple was built with its galleries branching out in four directions to represent the heavenly residence of Hindu gods with the central Mount Meru and the other four sacred peaks.

Yasovarman I built one of the largest reservoirs in the Angkor Kingdom known as East Baray or "Yasohodharataka", with a length of 7.5 kilometers, a width of 1.83 kilometer and approximate depth of 4-5 meters. The water capacity of East Baray was estimated at 55 million cubic meters, and this water was used to irrigate over 8,000 hectares of farmland. Sanskrit inscriptions were found on the stele at each corner of the East Baray to praise the Hindu goddess Ganga, being revered in India as the river-mother goddess of the great Ganges River.

About half a kilometer south of East Baray, Yasovarman I built four ashramas which were the retreating residence of the serious religious believers. Apart from carrying out religious practice, each abbot of the ashramas was found to be somewhat like the manager of the king to help in controlling the water of the East Baray.

Today the East Baray is completely dry, and the four ashramas disappear. The Pre Rup temple was built on top of one of these ashramas.

Harshavarman I (910 - 923 A.D.) and Isanavarman II (923 - 928 A.D)

After the death of Yasovarman I, his son Harshavarman I became the next king who ruled over the Angkor for more than a decade. The two monuments built during Harshavarman I were the Baksei Chamkrong, a laterite temple north-east of Phnom Bakheng, and Prasat Kravan, built of bricks dedicated to god Vishnu. The reign was followed by his brother Isanavarman II whose historical record was null.

Jayavarman IV ( 928 - 941 A.D.)

Possibly Jayavarman IV descended from the different maternal line of his preceding king and already held some power at Koh Ker since 921 A.D. When Isanavarman II died in 928, Jayavarman IV ascended the throne and move the capital to his town of Koh Ker which was about 90 kilometers north of the Angkor. At his new capital, Jayavarman IV had constructed an obscure Rahal Baray, untraditionally lying north-south direction, and difficult to engineer. It seems that the sandstone was first introduced as the building materials of the Khmer monuments during this time, as the 7-story pyramid built by this king as his state temple was made up of sandstones. Koh Ker remained as the capital for a short period of about 15 years.

Harshavarman II (941 - 944 A.D)

He was the son of Jayavarman IV, but was not the designated crown prince. Harshavarman II ascended the throne by force with the help of his cousin who later would become the next king. During the reign of Harshavarman II, repetitive unrests and rebels broke out and could possibly cause the death of this king.

Rajendravarman II (944 - 968 A.D.)

As soon as Harshavarman II died, his cousin Rajendravarman II grasped the power and mounted the throne. He returned to Angkor as his capital, and started to build the mountain-temple of Pre Rup which was sited on top the ashramas installed by Yasovarman I.

Attaining his kingship in an unrighteous way, Rajendravarman II encountered difficulties in keeping his crown as successive rebellions from his rivals occurred during his reign. To acquire strong supports, Rajendravarman II reordered the state by dividing the kingdom into vishaya or provinces whose rulers were his loyal chieftains.

Interestingly, a new myth of Khmer ancestors - Kambu and Mera, first appeared in the stone inscription during this time and was totally different from that of Brahmin Kaundinya and naga princess Soma. This myth praised the legendary Kambu's couple exorbitantly as the Khmer ancestors and the word "Kambuja" means the descendant of Kambu. Probably this legend had been in existence for a long time since the period of Chenla, but was first picked up by Rajendravarman II as his ancestors since he needed some sort of medium to persuade the people of his right to the throne.

Evidently, Rajendravarman II had a strong military power as he did not only wage civil war with his rivals, but even sacked the Champa Kingdom located to the east in modern Vietnam and the Thai tribal states to the west.

Jayavarman V (968 - 1000 A.D.)

He was the son of Rajendravarman II and succeeded the supreme throne after his father in 968 A.D. Jayavarman V had to fight vigorously with other princes in order to maintain his kingship. For some reasons, he built a new capital at the vicinity of Angkor and named it "Jayendranagari" with the meaning of "the Capital of the Triumphant Monarch", which implied his victory over the enemies. During his reign, two major complex were constructed, i.e. Banteay Srei and Takeo.

Udayadityavarman I (1001 - 1002 A.D.) & Jayaviravarman (1002 - 1010 A.D.)

When Jayavarman V passed away in 1000 A.D., the historical account of his royal family disappeared with the emergence of the new king named Udayadityavarman I, who became the king through violent conflict. He ruled only for a few years before being ousted and killed in 1002. This was followed by the struggle of power of the two princes, Jayaviravarman and Suryavarman I. The former prince ascended the supreme throne in 1002, but his regime was consistently challenged by his rival Suryavarman I, who successfully overthrew king in 1010. During this decade of civil war, no significant monument was built.

Suryavarman I (1010 - 1050 A.D.)

His reign was rather long but not very smooth, and Suryavarman I spent much of his time and energy to defend his kingship. He was the first king who built his palace surrounded by the wall in order to fortify himself from being attacked and this palace was situated in the vicinity of later Angkor Thom. Suryavarman I proclaimed to be the descendant of Brahmin Kaundinya and princess Soma. Later in 1022 A.D, Suryavarman I expanded his territory to the West up to the Lopburi in modern Thailand. The major construction built by this king was the Preah Vihear on the Dangrek Mountain and the Phimeanakas, a modest temple with pyramidal style located near his palace. Suryavarman I also started to build the second Angkor's reservoir, the West Baray which is almost twice as large as the East Baray.

Udayadityavarman II (1050 - 1066 A.D.)

Mounting to the supreme throne after the death of his predecessor, Udayadityavarman II ruled over the Angkor Kingdom without peace. He was not the son of Suryavarman I, but a descendant from the different lineage of Yasovarman I's spouse. The stone inscription during his reign praised one of his faithful general Sangrama who quell several major rebellions for the king. Udayadityavarman II built the renowned Baphoun Temple devoted to god Shiva, however, it appeared that some stone sculptures were also dedicated to Lord Buddha. This king completed the construction of the West Baray started since the time of his former king, and built the West Mebon, a raise-earthen island, in the center of it. A temple dedicated to god Vishnu was constructed on the island, but now had long been vanished. The West Baray is still in use today.

Harshavarman III (1066 - 1080 A.D.)

Following the death of Udayadityavarman II, the new king Harshavarman III who was the former king's older brother, mounted the throne. No monument built by this king was known and there was very few historical account referred to this king, who was believed to die in a violent rebellion.

Jayavarman VI (1080 - 1107 A.D.)

Ascending the throne in 1080 A.D., Jayavarman VI did not seem to have any direct connection with the royal family of the preceding kings. Probably he was from the different maternal sub-lineage, which was too far to entitle his right to the crown. The center of his ancestors' power was more or less to the West of the Angkor in the area of Phimai, now in Thailand. Jayavarman VI claimed to be the descendents of legendary Kambu and Mera, which was different from his immediate predecessors. This could imply that he succeeded the throne through violent conflict.

During his reign, there was rarely any monument built, except the one at the center of his power - the Phimai temple.

Dharanindravarman I (1107 - 1113 A.D.)

Jayavarman VI died in 1107, and the throne was followed by his elder brother Dharanindravarman I. This king was less ambitious as well as less energetic. He was ousted and killed in a civil war which lasted for only one day by his nephew who later became one of the greatest king of the Angkor, Suryavarman II.

Suryavarman II (1113 - 1150 A.D.)

Upon rising to power, Suryavarman II was a highly ambitious Khmer king. He was the great builder of the most impressive temple of Khmer, the Angkor Wat which is one of the World's Wonders with its magnificent architecture. Angkor Wat is a mountain temple dedicated to god Vishnu with five towers linked by galleries to signify the heavenly residence of Hindu gods. It is 65 meters high and the outer rectangular enclosure mesuring 1.5 km by 1.3 km which is surrounded by moat of 200 meters wide. In addition to its remarkable size, Angkor Wat also houses thousands of sculptures and stone carvings which amplify the delicacy of Khmer artworks. It took 37 years to complete the construction of this temple with over 50,000 workforce.

Apart from being a great royal builder, Suryavarman II was also a great warrior. He sacked several Champa states to the east and even waged an unsuccessful war with the strong Ly Dynasty of Vietnam. To the west, he conquered the Haripunjaya Kingdom, one of the Mon tribal states in central Thailand, and extended his power to as far north to the southern border of modern Laos and as far south to the border of Grahi Kingdom in Malay Peninsula which was around the present-day Nakorn Sithammarat, a southern province of modern Thailand. His territory expanded up to the border of the Pagan kingdom (ancient Burma) in the West.

Other monuments, in addition to Angkor wat, built during the reign of Suryavarman II are Beng Melea, Banteay Samre, Chey Say Tevoda, Thommanon.

Minor Reigns (1150 - 1181 A.D.)

Surprisingly the final destiny of this great king still remains in mystery. The last inscription referring to Suryavarman II was carved in 1145 A.D. with his preparation to invade Vietnam and probably he died sometime between 1145 and 1150 in a battlefield.

The death of Suryavarman II led to the decline of the Angkor Empire for a short interval and the successive kings were rather weak as well as tyrannical. The reign was followed by Dharanindravarman II (1150 - 1160 A.D.), Yasovarman II (1160 - 1165 A.D.), and Tribhuvanadityavarman (1165 - 1181 A.D.), respectively. Yasovarman II siezed the power from Dharanindravarman II, and in turn, was ousted by Tribhuvanadityavarman.

In 1177, a Champa King, who was the bitter enemy of the Khmer, attacked the Angkor by sailing his troops up along the Mekong River. A fierce naval battle was fought on the Great Lake of Tonle Sap and resulted in the painful defeat of the Angkor which subsequently fell into the hand of the Champa. The current Khmer king Tribhuvandityavarman was under the subjugation of the Champa until 1181.

Jayavarman VII (1181 - 1219 A.D.)

Being a Khmer prince, Jayavarman VII was formerly a chieftain since the time of Yasovarman II and ruled over a Champa province or vishaya which was under the Angkor's authority. When the Chams seized the Angkor in 1177, Jayavarman VII determined to fight against the intruders and was able to re-capture the Angkor's capital Yasodharapura, where he ascended the throne in 1181. The war with the Champa kingdom did not terminate immediately but continued for another twenty years. In 1203, Jayavarman VII had a final victory and conquered the Champa kingdom.

Jayavarman VII was the last greatest king of the Angkor. Not only liberalizing and unifying the country, he was also a profound builder with the marvelous achievement in building the new capital of Angkor Thom, lying on the plain of Siemreap north of Angkor Wat. At the center of Angkor Thom is the Bayon Temple, famous for its distinct 50 towers, each bearing the large faces of Bodhisattva Avalokiteshavara (a lord Buddha) on the four sides. These faces are thought to be copied from the actual face of Jayavarman VII, and whose smiles are so gentle that it is often referred to as "the Khmer smile". This great king was a devout Buddhist of the Mahayana sect.

In addition to Angkor Thom and Bayon, Jayavarman VII also built other impressive temples and monuments such as Ta Phrom, Banteay Kdei, Neak Pean, and Sras Srang.

Moreover, Jayavarman VII constructed an extensive road network throughout his empire and thus linked all the major towns to Angkor. This efficient road system facilitated the transportation of agricultural products and goods. Along these roads, this great and benevolent king had also built 121 resting houses to accommodate the travelers and the officials, and 102 hospitals to accommodate the sick.

The reign of Jayavarman VII was marked as the peak period of the Angkor Empire as well as of the Khmer Civilization, which began to decline gradually after the death of this great king in 1219 A.D.

Indravarman II (1219 - 1243 A.D.)

The supreme throne was succeeded by Jayavarman VII's son - Indravarman II who was also a devout Buddhist. Perhaps many of the great works of temples' construction initiated by Jayavarman VII were continued and completed by Indravarman II. Interestingly, few historical records about this king remains and probably were destroyed by his enemy who was his successor.

It was quite obvious that the Angkor power began to decline almost immediately. In 1220, the Khmers retreated from many of the Champa states that they had conquered earlier. At the same time, the Thai state succeeded to drive away the Khmer from the western frontier and established the first Thai kingdom of Sukhothai, whose descendants were to become the major threats to the Angkor Empire in the next two centuries.

Jayavarman VIII (1243 - 1295 A.D.)

It could have been a bad luck for some portions of Khmer history that Jayavarman VIII became the king by abducting the throne from his predecessor. Jayavarman VIII was a strong believer in Hinduism, but a brutal enemy to Buddhism. He was responsible for the massive destruction of the Buddha statues in the empire, the number of which was estimated to be over tens of thousands and very few remained. The main Buddha statue in the central shrine of Bayon was replaced with the Hindu god Harihara and that Buddha statue was found to be sliced into three pieces. Innumerable number of Buddha images in the other temples such as Banteay Kdei, Ta Prohm, Preah Khan and etc. met with the same fate but being completely destroyed. Moreover, Jayavarman VIII was also found to transform many Buddhist temples into the Hindu ones, so it was not surprising if he were to carry out the similar practice of erasing his predecessors' historical records.

During the reign of Jayavarman VIII, the Mongol troops of Kublai Khan attacked the border of Angkor Empire from the east in the year 1283. Jayavarman VIII was wise enough not to wage any war with the invincible Mongols at that time. He decided to pay tributes instead and thus his empire survived. This could possibly be the only credit this king had during his reign.

In 1295, Jayavarman VIII and his tyrannical regime was overthrown by his own son-in-law Srindravarman who was a Buddhist.

Srindravarman (1295 - 1309 A.D.)

He was a devout Buddhist, not of the Mahayana sect but the Theravada one. The first inscription engraved in Pali indicated that the royal family had adopted Theravada Buddhism as their main religion, and thus the king was no longer regarded as deva-raja or "god-king". Theravada Buddhism was introduced from Sri Lanka (Ceylon) and gradually infiltrated into every level of the people.

In 1296, Zhou Daguan, the Chinese ambassador from Yuan Dynasty (Mongol), visited Angkor Empire and wrote an important historical document in Chinese Chronicle about the Khmer, especially the everyday life of the normal people which significantly help us to have a better and clearer picture of this civilization. Zhou Daguan returned to China in 1297.