The Empire of the Khmer

    
In the year AD 802, King Jayavarman united people all over southeastern Asia to form the Khmer Kingdom. Their country was then called Kambuja, where present-day Cambodia exists. The capital of Kambuja was a prestigious city called Angkor, consisting of about 75 square miles of fertile plains near the Tonle Sap Lake. The people of Khmer were rich and powerful between the 9th and the 14th centuries. During that time, the empire extended its power and cultural influences to become the strongest and most advanced civilizations in all of Southeast Asia.

     A major part of the success of the Khmer Empire was due to its location and its ability to control the water supply. The Khmer built huge reservoirs called baray. These were used to store water from the monsoons, for use during the dry season.      Influenced by traders from India, the Khmer adopted their own version of Hinduism around the year 802. The people made relations between their earthly kings and the Hindu Gods. The Khmer kings constructed several capitals in their time, but none more structurally, artistically, or technically advanced than the royal
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