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The Priest-King of Angkor: Jayavarman VIII's Anti-Buddhist Purge
In the late 13th century, Jayavarman VIII, a Shaivite priest-king, seized power in Angkor and launched a violent campaign to eradicate Mahayana Buddhism from the Khmer Empire. He ordered the systematic defacement of Buddha images, the conversion of temples like the Bayon and Ta Prohm back to Hindu worship, and the suppression of the Buddhist sangha. But his reign also saw the empire's first diplomatic contact with the Mongol Empire, when Kublai Khan's envoy arrived demanding tribute. Jayavarman VIII's refusal to pay led to a Mongol invasion in 1283, which forced him into a…
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