Latest / The Khmer Empire: The Lost Civilization Behind Angkor Wat — Fexingo History
The Priest Who Defied Angkor: The 13th-Century Buddhist Schism
In late 13th-century Angkor, a Theravada Buddhist monk named Suo Du arrived from Sri Lanka and sparked a religious revolution. His teachings challenged the centuries-old devaraja cult that had legitimized Khmer kings as divine Shiva-linga incarnations. King Jayavarman VIII, a staunch Shaivite, saw this new faith as a threat to royal authority and launched a violent purge of Mahayana and Theravada monks. But Suo Du's ideas didn't die. Within a generation, Theravada Buddhism became the state religion under Indravarman II, erasing the devaraja tradition that had sustained Angkor for…
The skinny
The skinny isn't ready yet — notes appear once the transcript is processed.