Jayavarman VII

Jayavarman VII was a Khmer king who ruled the Angkor empire in the late twelfth and early thirteenth centuries.

He expanded the empire to its greatest territorial extent and undertook massive building projects, including the Bayon temple with its iconic stone faces and the walled city of Angkor Thom.

Unlike earlier Khmer rulers who practiced Hinduism, he embraced Mahayana Buddhism, which shaped his monuments and inscriptions.