Shows / The Khmer Empire: The Lost Civilization Behind Angkor Wat — Fexingo History
The Khmer Empire: The Lost Civilization Behind Angkor Wat — Fexingo History
The Khmer Empire, which dominated Southeast Asia from the 9th to the 15th centuries, left behind the sprawling temple complex of Angkor Wat—but its story is far more than stone and sandstone. Hosts Lucas and Luna guide listeners through the rise of the empire under King Jayavarman II in 802 CE, the construction of Angkor Wat by Suryavarman II, and the reign of Jayavarman VII, who built the walled city of Angkor Thom and the enigmatic Bayon with its 216 smiling faces. Along the way, they explore…
Episodes
The Khmer Empire: The Lost Civilization Behind Angkor Wat — Fexingo HistoryThe Cham Invasion of 1177: Angkor's Darkest Hour
In 1177, the Cham navy sailed up the Mekong and across the Tonlé Sap, sacking Angkor and ending Suryavarman II's dynasty. This episode traces the invasion…
- The Khmer Empire: The Lost Civilization Behind Angkor Wat — Fexingo History
The Khmer Empire's Spice Trade: Pepper, Cinnamon, and the Port of Srei Santhor
Angkor Wat is famous, but what fueled the Khmer economy? In this episode, Lucas and Luna explore the Khmer Empire's role in the global spice trade…
- The Khmer Empire: The Lost Civilization Behind Angkor Wat — Fexingo History
The Leper King: Angkor's Mysterious Terrace and Its Dark Legend
Deep in the heart of Angkor Thom lies one of the Khmer Empire's most enigmatic structures: the Terrace of the Leper King. Named for a haunting statue of a…
- The Khmer Empire: The Lost Civilization Behind Angkor Wat — Fexingo History
The Fall of Angkor Under Thammasokaraja
In the 14th century, the Khmer Empire faced its final collapse—not from a single invasion, but from a slow unraveling. This episode explores the reign of…
- The Khmer Empire: The Lost Civilization Behind Angkor Wat — Fexingo History
The Women of Angkor: Power and Devotion Under Jayavarman VII
This episode explores the overlooked role of women in the Khmer Empire, focusing on the reign of Jayavarman VII in the late 12th and early 13th centuries. We…
- The Khmer Empire: The Lost Civilization Behind Angkor Wat — Fexingo History
The Palace Women of Angkor: Power and Intrigue Behind the Walls
Beyond the famous god-kings and temple builders, the Khmer Empire was shaped by the women of the royal palace — queens, concubines, and princesses who wielded…
- The Khmer Empire: The Lost Civilization Behind Angkor Wat — Fexingo History
Rajendravarman II: The Khmer King Who Rebuilt Angkor
In Episode 91 of Fexingo History, we follow Rajendravarman II, the 10th-century Khmer king who rescued Angkor from obscurity. After the capital was moved to…
- The Khmer Empire: The Lost Civilization Behind Angkor Wat — Fexingo History
Suryavarman II's Divine Mandate: The King Who Built Angkor Wat
Angkor Wat is one of the most iconic monuments in the world, but the king who built it remains an enigma. In this episode, we explore the reign of Suryavarman…
- The Khmer Empire: The Lost Civilization Behind Angkor Wat — Fexingo History
The Khmer Empire's Lost City of Mahendraparvata
Before Angkor Wat rose from the jungle, the Khmer Empire built its first capital on the slopes of Phnom Kulen. In this episode, Lucas and Luna explore the…
- The Khmer Empire: The Lost Civilization Behind Angkor Wat — Fexingo History
Suryavarman I: The Khmer King Who Conquered the Corridor
This episode uncovers the remarkable reign of Suryavarman I, the 11th-century Khmer king who expanded the empire west into the Menam Valley, forging the…
- The Khmer Empire: The Lost Civilization Behind Angkor Wat — Fexingo History
The Khmer Empire's Forgotten Capital: Koh Ker Under Jayavarman IV
When Jayavarman IV seized the Khmer throne in 921 CE, he did something unprecedented: he abandoned Angkor entirely and built a new capital at Koh Ker, deep in…
- The Khmer Empire: The Lost Civilization Behind Angkor Wat — Fexingo History
The Bayon Faces and the Mahayana Shift Under Jayavarman VII
In this episode, Lucas and Luna explore the enigmatic smiling faces of the Bayon temple at Angkor Thom, built by Jayavarman VII in the late 12th century. They…
- The Khmer Empire: The Lost Civilization Behind Angkor Wat — Fexingo History
The Cham Invasion of 1177 and the Boy King Who Avenged Angkor
In 1177, the Khmer Empire suffered one of its most devastating defeats when a Cham fleet sailed up the Tonlé Sap River and sacked the city of Angkor. This…
- The Khmer Empire: The Lost Civilization Behind Angkor Wat — Fexingo History
Jayavarman VII: The Builder King of Angkor
In this episode, Lucas and Luna explore the reign of Jayavarman VII, the Khmer king who rebuilt Angkor after the Cham invasion of 1177. They discuss his…
- The Khmer Empire: The Lost Civilization Behind Angkor Wat — Fexingo History
The Cham Invasion of 1177: Angkor's Darkest Hour Redux
In 1177, the Khmer Empire faced its greatest military disaster: a Cham fleet sailed up the Tonlé Sap River, sacked Angkor, and killed the reigning king. This…
- The Khmer Empire: The Lost Civilization Behind Angkor Wat — Fexingo History
The Khmer Navy and the Battle of the Tonlé Sap
In 1177, the Cham fleet sailed up the Mekong and Tonlé Sap rivers, sacking Angkor in a shocking naval raid. But the Khmer Empire had its own maritime…
- The Khmer Empire: The Lost Civilization Behind Angkor Wat — Fexingo History
The Cham Invasion of 1177 and the Boy King Who Avenged Angkor
In 1177, the Khmer Empire suffered its most devastating blow: a Cham naval fleet sailed up the Mekong and Tonlé Sap rivers, sacked Angkor, and killed its king…
- The Khmer Empire: The Lost Civilization Behind Angkor Wat — Fexingo History
Angkor Thom: Jayavarman VII's City of Giants
Most people know Angkor Wat, but Angkor Thom is a whole other level — a fortified city larger than any medieval European capital, built by Jayavarman VII after…
- The Khmer Empire: The Lost Civilization Behind Angkor Wat — Fexingo History
The Cham Invasion of 1177: Angkor's Darkest Hour
In 1177, the Khmer Empire suffered a catastrophe that almost erased it from history. A Cham fleet sailed up the Mekong and Tonlé Sap rivers, caught Angkor…
- The Khmer Empire: The Lost Civilization Behind Angkor Wat — Fexingo History
The Water Crisis That Toppled Angkor: Khmer Empire's Hydraulic Collapse
Angkor's rise was built on water. The Khmer Empire engineered a vast network of canals, reservoirs, and embankments that transformed the monsoon…
- The Khmer Empire: The Lost Civilization Behind Angkor Wat — Fexingo History
Indravarman I: The Pioneer of Angkor's Baray System
Before Angkor Wat, before Jayavarman VII's sprawling temples, there was Indravarman I, a ninth-century king who laid the hydrological and architectural…
- The Khmer Empire: The Lost Civilization Behind Angkor Wat — Fexingo History
Mahendravarman: The Khmer King Who Sailed to Champa
In 600 CE, a Khmer prince named Mahendravarman set sail for Champa, not to conquer but to learn. This episode explores the Chenla period—the crucible of Khmer…
- The Khmer Empire: The Lost Civilization Behind Angkor Wat — Fexingo History
Kbal Spean: The Riverbed Temples of Angkor's Sacred Waters
Deep in the Cambodian jungle, the river at Kbal Spean is carved with thousands of lingas, gods, and celestial scenes — a 1000-year-old sacred waterwork on the…
- The Khmer Empire: The Lost Civilization Behind Angkor Wat — Fexingo History
Jayavarman II: The Warrior Who Founded the Khmer Empire
Before Angkor Wat, before the great barays and sprawling temple complexes, there was a warrior king who united warring chiefdoms and declared himself a…
- The Khmer Empire: The Lost Civilization Behind Angkor Wat — Fexingo History
The Fall of Angkor: Climate Collapse and the Abandonment of a City
Angkor was not conquered. It was slowly abandoned. In this episode, Lucas and Luna explore the final centuries of the Khmer Empire, from the 14th to the 16th…
- The Khmer Empire: The Lost Civilization Behind Angkor Wat — Fexingo History
The God-King of Angkor: Understanding Khmer Devaraja
What did it mean for a Khmer king to be a 'god-king'? In this episode, Lucas and Luna explore the devaraja cult — the ritual that transformed mortal…
- The Khmer Empire: The Lost Civilization Behind Angkor Wat — Fexingo History
Angkor Wat's Bas-Reliefs: The Khmer Empire's Stone History
In this episode of Fexingo History, Lucas and Luna explore the extraordinary bas-reliefs of Angkor Wat—a vast stone chronicle carved into the walls of the…
- The Khmer Empire: The Lost Civilization Behind Angkor Wat — Fexingo History
Khmer Empire Rice Cultivation and the Three-Season Revolution
In this episode, Lucas and Luna explore the agricultural innovations that powered the Khmer Empire for over six centuries. While previous episodes covered the…
- The Khmer Empire: The Lost Civilization Behind Angkor Wat — Fexingo History
The Khmer Empire's Spice Routes and the Quest for Cardamom
In this episode of The Khmer Empire: The Lost Civilization Behind Angkor Wat, Lucas and Luna explore the empire's lucrative but little-discussed trade in…
- The Khmer Empire: The Lost Civilization Behind Angkor Wat — Fexingo History
The Apsara Dance: Angkor's Celestial Dancers and Khmer Identity
In this episode, Lucas and Luna explore the sacred dance of the apsaras—celestial nymphs carved into the walls of Angkor Wat and other Khmer temples. They…
- The Khmer Empire: The Lost Civilization Behind Angkor Wat — Fexingo History
Preah Vihear: The Temple That Sparked a War
Perched on a 525-meter cliff in the Dângrêk Mountains, Preah Vihear is one of the most breathtaking and contentious temples of the Khmer Empire. Built over…
- The Khmer Empire: The Lost Civilization Behind Angkor Wat — Fexingo History
Angkor's Sandstone Quarry: How the Khmers Moved Mountains
The temples of Angkor are built from millions of sandstone blocks, some weighing over 50 tons. How did an empire without wheeled vehicles or iron tools saw…
- The Khmer Empire: The Lost Civilization Behind Angkor Wat — Fexingo History
Angkor's Sacred Dancers: The Apsaras of Khmer Empire
In this episode of The Khmer Empire, Lucas and Luna explore the celestial dancers of Angkor—the apsaras and devatas carved into the temples. They discuss the…
- The Khmer Empire: The Lost Civilization Behind Angkor Wat — Fexingo History
Angkor's Rice Revolution and the Great Baray Grid
Angkor's vast baray reservoirs weren't just for irrigation — they were part of a massive state-managed rice production system that fueled the Khmer…
- The Khmer Empire: The Lost Civilization Behind Angkor Wat — Fexingo History
The Angkor That Never Was: Jayavarman IV's Forgotten Capital at Koh Ker
When Jayavarman IV seized the Khmer throne in 921 CE, he didn't just move the capital — he built an entirely new city from scratch in the jungle, 80…
- The Khmer Empire: The Lost Civilization Behind Angkor Wat — Fexingo History
Suryavarman I: The Usurper Who Built Angkor's Golden Age
Before Angkor Wat, before Jayavarman VII, there was Suryavarman I — a usurper king who seized the Khmer throne through war and marriage, then built the…
- The Khmer Empire: The Lost Civilization Behind Angkor Wat — Fexingo History
The Phantom King: Jayavarman VI and the Angkorian Civil War
In the early 12th century, the Khmer Empire faced a succession crisis that erupted into civil war. Jayavarman VI, a provincial prince from the Phimai region…
- The Khmer Empire: The Lost Civilization Behind Angkor Wat — Fexingo History
Angkor's Iron King: Jayavarman IV and the Koh Ker Interlude
In the mid-10th century, the Khmer Empire faced a crisis of succession that led to one of its most enigmatic rulers: Jayavarman IV. After a disputed claim to…
- The Khmer Empire: The Lost Civilization Behind Angkor Wat — Fexingo History
The 1296 Chinese Diplomat Who Documented Angkor
In 1296, a Chinese diplomat named Zhou Daguan arrived at the Khmer capital of Angkor Thom as part of a Yuan dynasty mission. He spent nearly a year observing…
- The Khmer Empire: The Lost Civilization Behind Angkor Wat — Fexingo History
The Cham Invasion of 1177: Angkor's Near-Death Blow
In 1177, the Khmer Empire suffered its greatest humiliation: a Cham naval raid up the Tonlé Sap that sacked Angkor itself. This episode tells the story of that…
- The Khmer Empire: The Lost Civilization Behind Angkor Wat — Fexingo History
Angkor's Silk Roads: The Khmer Empire's Global Trade Networks
When we think of Angkor, we picture temple spires rising from the jungle. But the Khmer Empire was also a powerhouse of international trade, connected to…
- The Khmer Empire: The Lost Civilization Behind Angkor Wat — Fexingo History
Angkor's Royal Huntsmen: Khmer Elephant Trapping
For centuries, the Khmer Empire relied on war elephants for battle and ceremony, but where did these animals come from? In this episode, Lucas and Luna explore…
- The Khmer Empire: The Lost Civilization Behind Angkor Wat — Fexingo History
The Siege of Angkor 1177: Cham Raiders and the Khmer Empire's Near Collapse
In 1177, the Khmer Empire nearly ended. A Cham fleet sailed up the Mekong and Tonle Sap, sacked Angkor, and killed the reigning king. It was a catastrophe that…
- The Khmer Empire: The Lost Civilization Behind Angkor Wat — Fexingo History
The Engineer King: Jayavarman VII's Forgotten Roads and Bridges
In this episode, Lucas and Luna explore the engineering marvels of Angkor's most prolific builder, Jayavarman VII. While his temples like the Bayon and Ta…
- The Khmer Empire: The Lost Civilization Behind Angkor Wat — Fexingo History
Kublai Khan's Invasion That Never Came: Angkor vs the Mongols
In the late 13th century, the Khmer Empire faced its greatest external threat: the Mongol Empire under Kublai Khan. This episode reveals how Angkor narrowly…
- The Khmer Empire: The Lost Civilization Behind Angkor Wat — Fexingo History
Angkor's Last King: Jayavarman IX and the Fall of the Khmer Empire
In this episode of The Khmer Empire, Lucas and Luna explore the twilight of Angkor through the reign of its last recorded king, Jayavarman IX…
- The Khmer Empire: The Lost Civilization Behind Angkor Wat — Fexingo History
Angkor Baray and the Hydraulic Empire's Secret Engineers
This episode of Fexingo History dives into the engineering marvels behind Angkor's water management system, focusing on the baray—massive man-made…
- The Khmer Empire: The Lost Civilization Behind Angkor Wat — Fexingo History
Angkor's Water Crisis: The Hydraulic City That Dried Up
Angkor was the largest pre-industrial city in the world, with over a million people at its peak. But its astonishing water management system—a sprawling…
- The Khmer Empire: The Lost Civilization Behind Angkor Wat — Fexingo History
Jayavarman VIII and the Hindu Restoration of Angkor
In 1243, the Khmer Empire underwent a dramatic religious and political transformation. Jayavarman VIII, a fervent Hindu king, seized the throne and launched a…
- The Khmer Empire: The Lost Civilization Behind Angkor Wat — Fexingo History
Jayavarman VIII and the Hindu Restoration of Angkor
When Jayavarman VII died in 1218, his son Indravarman II continued the Mahayana Buddhist tradition, but the empire was fraying. After his death, a succession…
- The Khmer Empire: The Lost Civilization Behind Angkor Wat — Fexingo History
Angkor's Elephant Corps: War Beasts of the Khmer Empire
Long before Angkor Wat rose from the jungle, the Khmer Empire wielded a secret weapon on the battlefield: war elephants. This episode plunges into the…
- The Khmer Empire: The Lost Civilization Behind Angkor Wat — Fexingo History
The Queen Who Defied the God-King: Indradevi of Angkor
In this episode, Lucas and Luna explore the remarkable story of Indradevi, the Khmer queen who rose from royal concubine to become the most powerful woman in…
- The Khmer Empire: The Lost Civilization Behind Angkor Wat — Fexingo History
The Forgotten King Who Built Angkor: Jayavarman II
Before Angkor Wat, before the Bayon, before the god-kings of the Khmer Empire, there was a single man who united warring principalities under one sword…
- The Khmer Empire: The Lost Civilization Behind Angkor Wat — Fexingo History
The Devaraja Cult Angkor's God-King Ideology
Lucas and Luna explore the devaraja or 'god-king' cult that underpinned Khmer royal power for centuries. They trace its origins to Jayavarman…
- The Khmer Empire: The Lost Civilization Behind Angkor Wat — Fexingo History
The Khmer Fire Cult: Angkor's Sacred Flames
In this episode of The Khmer Empire, Lucas and Luna explore the overlooked tradition of sacred fire rituals at Angkor. While much attention has been paid to…
- The Khmer Empire: The Lost Civilization Behind Angkor Wat — Fexingo History
The Royal Concubine Who Defied Angkor's Court
In the late 12th century, amidst the chaos following the Cham invasion of 1177, a woman named Indradevi rose to become queen of the Khmer Empire under…
- The Khmer Empire: The Lost Civilization Behind Angkor Wat — Fexingo History
The Temple of Preah Vihear and the Khmer Mountain Cult
Perched on a 525-meter cliff in the Dângrêk Mountains, the temple of Preah Vihear stands as one of the most audacious architectural achievements of the Khmer…
- The Khmer Empire: The Lost Civilization Behind Angkor Wat — Fexingo History
The Priest-King Who Built Angkor Wat: Suryavarman II
Angkor Wat is the most iconic temple of the Khmer Empire, but who built it and why? This episode dives into the reign of Suryavarman II, the ambitious king who…
- The Khmer Empire: The Lost Civilization Behind Angkor Wat — Fexingo History
Angkor's Century of Darkness: The Lost Capital of Longvek
After the fall of Angkor in the 15th century, the Khmer civilization didn't vanish—it moved. This episode follows the court's relocation south to…
- The Khmer Empire: The Lost Civilization Behind Angkor Wat — Fexingo History
The Leper King: Angkor's Strangest Mystery
In this episode of The Khmer Empire, Lucas and Luna explore one of Cambodia's most enduring enigmas: the Leper King. They discuss the Terrace of the Leper…