In late 13th-century Angkor, a Theravada Buddhist monk named Suo Du arrived from Sri Lanka and sparked a religious revolution. His teachings challenged the centuries-old devaraja cult that had legitimized Khmer kings as divine Shiva-linga incarnations. King Jayavarman VIII, a staunch Shaivite, saw this new faith as a threat to royal authority and launched a violent purge of Mahayana and Theravada monks. But Suo Du's ideas didn't die. Within a generation, Theravada Buddhism became the state religion under Indravarman II, erasing the devaraja tradition that had sustained Angkor for 500 years. This episode explores the ideological battle behind Angkor's religious transformation: the shrines that were defaced, the monks who were executed, and the quiet persistence of a faith that outlasted an empire. Key sites include the Vatt Sithor inscription, Prasat Neak Buos, and the Bayon's altered iconography.
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