The Priest-King Who Built Angkor Wat: Suryavarman II

Angkor Wat is the most iconic temple of the Khmer Empire, but who built it and why? This episode dives into the reign of Suryavarman II, the ambitious king who unified Cambodia, crushed rivals, and commissioned the world's largest religious monument. We explore his military campaigns against Champa and Dai Viet, his diplomatic overtures to the Chinese Song dynasty, and the imperial ideology that made Angkor Wat possible. Learn how Suryavarman II presented himself as a devaraja, a god-king, and how the temple's bas-reliefs tell the story of his reign. We also touch on the mystery of his death—did he fall in battle?—and how his successors let Angkor Wat fall into ruin before Jayavarman VII restored it. This episode offers a focused look at the man behind the monument, with details from Chinese court records, Khmer inscriptions, and the temple's own carvings. A must-listen for anyone who's ever wondered who built Angkor Wat and what drove him. #SuryavarmanII #AngkorWat #KhmerEmpire #Devaraja #Champa #DaiViet #SongDynasty #Angkor #Cambodia #Hinduism #Vishnu #MountMeru #BasReliefs #NavalBattle #TempleMountain #12thCentury #History #FexingoHistory #JayavarmanII #JayavarmanVII Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo