Jayavarman VII was the builder of the great capital city the complex of Angkor Thom with the visage of its creator
carved on huge stone tower looking benignly our overall
four corners of his far-flung empire.
Jayavaraman VII was a devoted Buddhist and introduced a new state religion of “Buddharaja” centered on
the Bayon, which blended elements of the worship of
Shiva and Vishnu with a branch of Mahayana Buddhism.
The Buddhist sect instituted by Jayavarman VII followed
the teachings of the Bodhisattva or Buddhist Saviour
Avalokiteshvara. He also had constructed the important
Buddhist sanctuaries of “Banteay Kedei” “Ta Prohm”,
and the “Prah Khan”. Other important constructions include the “Terrace of Elephants” “Terrace of the Leper
King” and The “Western Terrace”. The existing system of
highways connecting all the different regions of the empire was upgraded and extended, and after the annexation of the Kingdom of Champa, a new highway was
built between its capital at Angkor. These highways had
a total of 121 rest-houses set up along their routes. Then
to show that he put the welfare of his subjects before his
own, he had 102 hospitals founded throughout the
whole empire for public use. Truly he was a king of kings.
This reign lifted Angkor to glorious heights, but at the
same time, the seeds of its downfall were being
sown. This
king’s fervent following of Buddhism caused great resentment among the Brahman, and his huge program of construction and expansion sapped dry the energy and enthusiasm of the common people.
In 1218 A.D., the rule of Jayavaraman VII came to an
end and the actual circumstances surrounding his fall are
not known. Did he die, was he overthrown, or was he
forced to abdicate because of old age or illness. Whatever
the cause, there followed a period of a bitter dispute over
the succession.
Yet some at least of the underlying factors of Angkor’s
decline were emerging even now. In some ways, the reign
of Jayavaraman VII stood at an end, not a beginning.
After him, indeed, the decline was seen with hindsight by the historian was probably not manifest to the inhabitants of
Angkor and the realm did indeed remain prosperous
and proud for a century or more; but the foundations of
its pre-eminence was
being eroded, warfare was to become increasingly defensive and damaging, and no subsequent ruler was able to scale the heights of magnificence reached by Jayavarman VII.
There is a way of taking Jayavarman’s professions of
responsibility for the lives of all his subjects that accuses
him of presuming too much. In his victory, it might be
said, he was deluded into thinking himself invulnerable;
in his royal wealth and pomp, he came to believe himself
divine, and to sustain an illusion he wore his kingdom
down into poverty. For all his monuments and all his victories had to be paid for in the sweat of those who were
made instruments of his leaping ambition. In the end,
some have argued, it was the exhaustion of the kingdom
brought about by Jayavaram’s extravagance that set it
upon its downward course.
After the demise of Jayavarman VII in 1218 A.D., there
followed a period of bitter conflict between the supporters
of Buddhism and Brahmanism, reminiscent of the darkest
days of Angkor. Jayavarman VII was a devoted follower
of Brahmanism and his reign marked the high point of
Brahman's reaction against Buddhism, resulting in the vandalization of many of the Buddhist inscriptions and statues in the Bayon. During the exceptionally long reign of
this king, the empire was faced with enemies on all sides.
The Arrival of the Thais in the Peninsula & contact with the Khmer
The Thais who had arrived to settle down in big numbers
in this area, were the first one to shake the might of the
Khmers. It was against the power of such an extensive
empire that the Thai had to fight their way to independence. They had already established their kingdoms
around Chiengsaen and Chiangrai in upper Laos. Some
of the Thais wandered southward into Sukhotai and the
Menam basin, which was Mon territory but held by the
Khmers as indicated above.
The Thai of Sukhotai under Phra Ruang (or Nai Kong Krao, the first Phra Ruang) had to carry sacred water
from Thale Chubsorn in Louvo every year to king Patum
Suriwong (Indravarman II). This was the custom at the
time that in order to show the glory and extent of power,
the Khmer king must have water from the four corners of
his empire carried by the enslaved people to the royal
anointment ceremony at his metropolis.
Phra Ruang of Sukhotai found it very hard for his
people to carry water in big earthen jars available at that
time in very shaky bullock carts on a very long hazardous journey through jungles and hills for several weeks
to reach the Khmer capital and pay homage to its king.
He afterward found a means of weaving bamboo and
then have them lacquered with dammar gum resin
(wood oil) to prevent them from leaking, and the baskets
containing water would not break like earthen pots.
When the Khmer king heard of this new unheard-of invention, he felt that Thai was getting too clever and
must be nipped in the bud. He ordered Phya Decho, one
of his army commanders to follow Phra Ruang to Sukhotai and kill him. But instead, Decho was killed by
Phra Ruang. After he had killed Decho, Phra Ruang did
nothing more in case revenge would arrive, but to protect himself and seek freedom for his own people.
After Phra Ruang’s time, Sukhothai became a prosperous kingdom. King Ram Khamheng the great was the
founder and first king of Sukhothai dynasty. It is said that every important civilization of the world has a golden age or a classical age when material, intellectual and spiritual progress simultaneously reaches a
high level. Thus, the Sukhothai period was the golden age
of Thailand and the determining factors were national independence and religion. The culture and artistic activities with regard to Buddhism reached their zenith during
this period. Buddhist art in Sukhothai period is regarded
as the most beautiful. And, original Thai art expression
was especially beautiful in the field of sculpture. The
Sukhothai period, in this respect, represents the golden
age in the history of Thailand as the Gupta period was in
the history of India.
The period of the Sukhothai Kingdom (1238–1439 A.D.)
represents the great evolution of religion in this country. It
witnessed the introduction of the new sect of Hinayana. The
Lankavong or Sinhalese Hinayana sect of Buddhism from
Ceylon was first introduced in Sukhothai kingdom which
strongly survives as the state religion of Thailand.
The other strong influence of Khmer art of Lopburi
can be seen in this period, too. The principle architecture
is “Phra Prang” which derived its form from Khmer sanctuary. The Prang or another type of Siamese stupa also
appears in this period. The Phra Prang is the further developed architectural building from the corner tower of
Khmer temple. There is further development of the Phra
Prang from the original Khmer style. The best example of
Phra Prang is the large one at wat Pra Sri Ratana Mahathat, Challenge in the city of Sisatchanalai.
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