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Suryavarman I: The Usurper Who Expanded Angkor West
Before Angkor Wat, before Jayavarman VII's Buddhist revolution, there was Suryavarman I — a usurper of uncertain origin who seized the Khmer throne around 1006 CE and held it for half a century. This episode explores his contested rise, possibly from the Malay Peninsula or the Khorat Plateau, and his relentless military campaigns that pushed Khmer borders into modern Thailand and Laos. We examine how he legitimized his rule through Shiva worship, built the grand Western Baray reservoir to secure Angkor's water supply, and erected the mountain-temple of Preah Vihear on a cliff edge…
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