Editing Angkor (section)

=== Jayavarman VII ===
{{Main|Jayavarman VII}}
[[File:Guimet IMG 6009 Jayavarman7.JPG|thumb|right|upright|A bust of Jayavarman&nbsp;VII on display at [[Musee Guimet]], Paris]]

Following the death of Suryavarman around 1150&nbsp;AD, the kingdom fell into a period of internal strife. Its neighbors to the east, the [[Cham (Asia)|Cham]] of what is now southern Vietnam, took advantage of the situation in 1177 to launch a water-borne invasion up the [[Mekong]] River and across [[Tonlé Sap]]. The Cham forces were successful in sacking the Khmer capital of [[Yasodharapura]] and in killing the reigning king. However, a Khmer prince who was to become King [[Jayavarman VII]] rallied his people and defeated the Cham in battles on the lake and on the land. In 1181, Jayavarman assumed the throne. He was to be the greatest of the Angkorian kings.{{sfn|Higham|2001|p=120 ff}}

Over the ruins of Yasodharapura, Jayavarman constructed the walled city of [[Angkor Thom]], as well as its geographic and spiritual center, the temple known as the [[Bayon]]. Bas-reliefs at the Bayon depict not only the king's battles with the Cham, but also scenes from the life of Khmer villagers and courtiers. Jayavarman oversaw the period of Angkor's most prolific construction, which included building of the well-known temples of [[Ta Prohm]] and [[Preah Khan]], dedicating them to his parents.<ref name="WorldArch">Tom St John Gray, [http://www.world-archaeology.com/features/angkor-wat-temple-of-boom/ Angkor Wat: Temple of Boom] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130317031150/http://www.world-archaeology.com/features/angkor-wat-temple-of-boom/ |date=March 17, 2013}}, World Archeology, 7 November 2011.</ref>

This massive program of construction coincided with a transition in the state religion from [[Hinduism]] to [[Mahayana Buddhism]], since Jayavarman himself had adopted the latter as his personal faith. During Jayavarman's reign, Hindu temples were altered to display images of the [[Gautama Buddha|Buddha]], and Angkor Wat briefly became a Buddhist shrine. Following his death, the revival of Hinduism as the state religion included a large-scale campaign of desecrating Buddhist images, and continued until [[Theravada Buddhism]] became established as the land's dominant religion from the 14th century.{{sfn|Higham|2001|p=116}}