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The Funan Kingdom is the first known kingdom in the lower Mekong River area. It is believed to have been created through a romantic meeting of an Indian youth and a Khmer Queen. The people of Funan are believed to be a mixture of Khmer, Malay, Indian and other ethnic groups.
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These trade links between the two countries meant that the Khmer people were influenced by the Indian traders.The best example of this is the importance given to hinduism and buddhism. This influence was strengthend by the fact that traders were forced to wait for six months before Indian merchants could return to their homeland.
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Jayavarman II defeated the Chams and assumed reign of the Khmer empire. Jayavarman II came into power and strengthened the power of the Khmer monarchy and declared himself a God-King in a ceremony that was performed by hindu high priests.
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Indravarman succeeded his cousin and expanded the system of irrigation canals and artificial lakes. This was important because it helped improve rice production to support the growing empire. It increased rice harvests to three times a year.
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The largest religious building in the world began and took 152 years to complete. Suryavarman II began construction and dedicated it to Vishnu.
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Jayavarman eventually expanded the Khmer Empire to its greatest limits but this contributed to the fall of the empire as they made many enemies while trying to expand. He also defeated the Chams and expanded the empire further east.
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By the time of Khmer’s eighth king, vassal states no longer required to give their resources to the king or pay any form of tax. They also had a very large army cost who were expected to be paid, fed, armed, housed and transported. The kings led lavish lifestyles and had no thought of trading important goods. These large costs added up were too much for the empire.
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During his reign he imprisoned diplomatic representatives who were sent by the Mongols. This meant the Mongols were forced to attack the Khmer Empire to get their diplomats. However Jayavarman VIII payed a tribute to bring peace which allowed his reign to continue. He also ordered all buddhist pictures and relics be destroyed.
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He was a chinese diplomat who wrote about the Khmer people and their cures. One entry talks about how the Khmer people would cure themselves of illness by plunging into water and repeatedly washing their head. These entries give us an insight into the life of the Khmer people.
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The empire was able to defend itself until the Thais defeated it and captured the empire. The empire fell because it was undermined by many smaller Thai kingdoms attacking cities and territories.
