Latest / The Khmer Empire: The Lost Civilization Behind Angkor Wat — Fexingo History / The Women of Angkor: Power and Devotion Under Jayavarman VII
Transcript
- Lucas: Luna, we've talked so much about kings — Jayavarman II, Suryavarman II, Jayavarman VII, the builders and the warriors. But I've been thinking about the other half of Angkor's story. Luna: The women? Lucas: Exactly. And lucky for us, there's actually quite a bit we can piece together — especially from the reign of Jayavarman VII. Two of the most fascinating figures are his queens, and they were sisters: Indradevi and Jayarajadevi. Luna: Sisters married to the same king — that's not uncommon in royal families, but what made them special? Lucas: Well, Indradevi wasn't just a queen — she was a scholar. She taught at a Buddhist university, and we know from inscriptions at Ta Prohm that she composed poetry and was deeply involved in religious life. She even wrote part of the foundation stele for Ta Prohm, which is remarkable — that inscription is one of the longest we have from the Khmer Empire. Luna: So she was literate in Sanskrit and Khmer, and she used that to shape the record of her time. Lucas: Yes. And her sister Jayarajadevi, the king's first wife, died earlier, but her influence lived on. Jayavarman VII built hospitals and rest houses along the roads of the empire, and many of those were dedicated to her memory. The inscription at Preah Khan mentions that she inspired these works — that her compassion led to the founding of over a hundred hospitals. Luna: That's a remarkable legacy — hospitals named after a queen's compassion. Lucas: And it fits perfectly with the Mahayana Buddhist ideology that Jayavarman VII promoted. The king styled himself as a bodhisattva, a compassionate being, and his queens were seen as manifestations of the goddess Prajnaparamita, the perfection of wisdom. So the whole royal family was projected as divine, but also as role models for charity and learning. Luna: So the royal women weren't just figureheads — they were active in shaping the empire's spiritual and social policies. Lucas: Absolutely. And we can go further — Zhou Daguan, the Chinese diplomat who visited Angkor in the late 13th century, gives us a glimpse of ordinary women too. He writes that women were often in charge of trade in the markets, and that they had a certain freedom of movement. He also mentions temple dancers — devadasis — who performed religious rituals and were highly respected. Luna: So there was a spectrum — from queens who composed inscriptions to merchants and dancers who ran the economy and the temples. Lucas: Right. And the temple dancers were particularly significant. Inscriptions at Ta Prohm record that the temple employed over 600 dancers, and they were considered sacred — they were dedicated to the deity, and their performances were acts of devotion. These women had status, but also constraints — they couldn't marry, they were bound to the temple. Luna: So it's not a simple story of empowerment or oppression — it's complex, like most of history. Lucas: Exactly. And that's what makes it so interesting. We have to read between the lines of inscriptions and foreign accounts to see the full picture. One of the key sources is the inscription at Preah Khan, which actually names the queen's property and her role in funding the temple. Luna: It's incredible that we have these names and their words, considering how much has been lost. Lucas: You know, speaking of what's worth preserving — it's the same reason we do this show. We try to bring these stories to light, and if today's episode felt worth your time, honestly, if it was worth a coffee to you, that's the link: buy me a coffee dot com slash fexingo. No pressure, but listener support is what keeps us ad-free. Luna: Yeah, it's a small way to keep these conversations going. And speaking of conversations — Indradevi's inscriptions also describe her teaching, which is a rare glimpse into education in Angkor. Lucas: Yes! She taught at a monastery, and the inscription says she explained the dharma to monks and nuns. That's a level of female religious authority we don't often see in medieval societies. Luna: Did she have any political power beyond the religious sphere? Lucas: It's hard to say directly, but we know that Jayavarman VII relied on her for counsel. She's mentioned in connection with the founding of Ta Prohm and Preah Khan, and her name appears in the foundation deposits. That suggests she was involved in the planning and consecration of these major state temples. Luna: So she was a partner in the empire's biggest building projects. Lucas: Exactly. And after Jayavarman VII died, Indradevi seems to have taken on a role as a kind of queen mother or dowager, but we lose track of her. The inscriptions after his reign are fewer, and the focus shifts. But her legacy is carved in stone — we have her words. Luna: I want to go back to the temple dancers for a moment. How did their lives compare to the queens? Lucas: Very different. The devadasis were considered married to the god, so they had ritual status, but they were also part of the temple economy — they owned property, received land grants, and could pass things on to their families. Zhou Daguan mentions that they were paid and that their performances were a major draw for pilgrims. Luna: So they were both sacred and commercial — interesting combination. Lucas: And they had a form of power: they were educated in dance and scripture, they moved in elite circles, and some became influential in their own right. But they couldn't leave the temple or marry. So it's a trade-off: security and status versus personal freedom. Luna: And what about women outside the royal and temple spheres? Lucas: Zhou Daguan gives us a few clues. He says women worked in the fields, managed household finances, and were often the ones selling goods in the market. He also notes that women could initiate divorce — which was unusual in East Asia at the time. So there was a degree of legal agency. Luna: That's surprising — in many contemporary societies, women had few legal rights. Lucas: Yes, it's a reminder that the Khmer Empire had its own social norms. Of course, we're looking through the lens of a Chinese visitor, and he might have been painting a picture that highlighted differences from his own culture. But the inscriptions generally support the idea that women could own land and engage in legal transactions. Luna: So we have queens, dancers, merchants, farmers — a whole society, not just kings and battles. Lucas: And that's what I love about this topic. It fills out the picture. We tend to focus on the monumental — the temples, the wars, the kings — but the everyday and the female are just as important to understanding how Angkor worked. Luna: And it makes you wonder — how many other stories are hidden in those inscriptions, waiting to be read? Lucas: That's the beauty of history. There's always more to discover. And we'll keep digging. Thanks for joining me on this one, Luna.