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The Priest-King Revolt: Angkor's Hindu-Buddhist Civil War
Season 1
Episode 19
Published 3 months, 1 week ago
Description
In the late 13th century, the Khmer Empire was torn apart by a religious civil war between the established Hindu priestly elite and the rising Theravada Buddhist monks. This episode explores the power struggle that led to the burning of Sanskrit manuscripts, the flight of scholars, and the eventual shift that reshaped Cambodian identity. We discuss figures like Jayavarman VIII, who attempted to destroy Mahayana Buddhist monuments, and the mysterious temple of Banteay Chhmar, where evidence of the conflict is etched into stone. Learn about the role of the devaraja cult, the Neak Ta guardians, and how a quiet religious revolution may have been the first domino in Angkor's fall.