Jayavarman Vii

Jayavarman VII

(born c. 1120/25—died c. 1215/19) King of the Khmer (Cambodian) empire of Angkor (r. 1181–c. 1215). Born into the royal family of Angkor, he settled in the Champa kingdom (present-day central Vietnam) in his young adulthood and engaged in military campaigns. In his late fifties he led his people in a struggle for independence after their subjugation by the Cham. He was crowned king of a reconstituted Khmer empire at 61. He ruled more than 30 years and brought the empire to its zenith in terms both of territorial extent and of royal architecture and construction. Champa, southern Laos, and portions of the Malay Peninsula and Myanmar (Burma) came under his control. He built temples, hospitals, and rest houses, and rebuilt the city of Angkor (now called Angkor Thom). His dedication to both the spiritual and physical needs of the people has made him a national hero to modern Cambodians.

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Jayavarman Vii 

king of Khmer (known in historical literature as Angkor Cambodia). During his reign (1181-1219), the country reached the height of its power. The Angkor monarchy spread its influence north to Vientiane and, after the capture of Champa, east to the East China Sea. The Kingdom reached as far south as the central part of the Malay Peninsula and as far west as Burma. Jayavarman VII initiated the large-scale construction of temples in Southeast Asia.