Jayavarman VII was the most ambitious “builder‑king” of the Khmer empire, using temples, cities, and infrastructure to reunify his realm and promote Mahayana Buddhism as state religion.

Rise to the throne

Jayavarman VII came to power in the aftermath of crisis. In 1177 the Cham navy attacked via the Mekong and Tonlé Sap, sacked Angkor, and killed King Tribhuvanadityavarman. A Cambodian prince then in Champa, Jayavarman returned, raised his own forces, and by 1181 had driven out the invaders, reunified the kingdom, and taken the throne.

He ruled roughly from 1181 to around 1218–1220, expanding Khmer power over Champa (central Vietnam) and parts of the Mekong valley, and is remembered as both a formidable general and deeply devout Buddhist.

Mahayana Buddhist vision

Unlike many earlier Khmer kings who favoured Hindu Shaivism or Vaishnavism, Jayavarman VII strongly promoted Mahayana Buddhism. Inscriptions and his temple imagery present him as a bodhisattva‑king, modelling compassion and using royal power for the welfare of his subjects.

A key inscription at Preah Khan records that he erected Buddha images called Jayabuddhamahanatha (“Victorious Buddha, Great Protector”) in at least 23 towns across the empire, projecting a unified Buddhist identity through sculpture.

Massive building programme

Jayavarman VII launched the most extensive construction programme in Angkor’s history, combining religious, civic, and medical works. Historians group his projects into:

• Infrastructure and welfare

  • About 102 hospitals (arogyasala) across the empire, associated with healing Buddhas like Bhaisajyaguru.

  • A network of roads radiating from Angkor, lined with 121 “resthouse temples” (dharmasala or vahni‑griha) where travellers could rest, eat, and worship.

• Temples for his parents

  • Ta Prohm (Rajavihara), built c.1186 in honour of his mother, enshrining her as Prajnaparamita, the personification of transcendent wisdom.

  • Preah Khan, founded a few years later for his father, associating him with Lokeshvara (Avalokiteshvara), the bodhisattva of compassion.

• Capital and state temple

  • Angkor Thom, a fortified new capital (“Great Angkor”), with monumental gateways and causeways lined by devas and asuras holding Nagas.

  • Bayon, at the centre of Angkor Thom, his state temple mountain, famous for its many towers carved with serene, smiling faces—often interpreted as a blend of Buddha, Avalokiteshvara, and the king himself.

• Other major foundations

  • Neak Pean, a small but symbolically rich island temple in the Jayatataka Baray, with four surrounding pools used for ritual healing, dedicated to Bhaisajyaguru.

  • Ta Som and Ta Nei, smaller temples likely linked to his broader religious and hospital network.

  • Banteay Chhmar, a huge but remote complex with Bayon‑style face towers and Lokeshvara reliefs, probably built late in his reign in a politically sensitive border region.

These temples share distinctive Bayon‑period features: soft, full faces with calm smiles, elaborate jewellery and crowns, and abundant images of Avalokiteshvara, Prajnaparamita, and the Buddha—forms closely echoed in many Angkor‑style Lokeshvara, Buddha, and deity sculptures on the art market today.

Legacy

By the time Jayavarman VII died (around 1215–1220), the Khmer empire had reached great territorial and cultural heights, but his frantic building pushed resources and labour to their limits, and some complexes show signs of rushed or unfinished work.

Later Hindu rulers partially defaced or reworked some of his Buddhist imagery, yet his monuments—especially Bayon, Ta Prohm, and Preah Khan—remain the most iconic faces of Angkor today.