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Jayavarman VII was a king of the Khmer Empire (1181 - 1219) in present day Cambodia). He was the son of King Dharanindravarman II (r. 1150 - 1160) and queen Sri Jayarajacudamani. He was married in his late twenties to Jayarajadevi.
On the death of his father, his cousin Yasovarman II assumed the throne, and Jayavarman went into exile in neighboring Champa. He returned from exile in 1166 when Yasovarman was overthrown by Tribhuvanadityavarman, but was unable to assert his claim to the throne. It was not until after the Cham invaded the Khmer Empire, who sacked Angkor in 1177, that Jayavarman was able to successfully assert his rightful claim, and finally assumed the throne of the Khmer Empire in 1181, at the age of 61.
He is known as a deeply religious ruler, and was one of the most ambitious builders of temples and structures in Angkor, in particular the Mahayana Buddhist structures at Bayon and Angkor Thom.
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