Which Southeast Asian empire built Angkor and relied on sophisticated water management networks, including barays?

• A. Srivijaya Empire; Sumatra.
• B. Khmer Empire; location Cambodia, Mekong Delta region.
• C. Dai Viet; Vietnam.
• D. Funan; Cambodia.

Answer: (B)

The key idea here is how hydraulic engineering supported a powerful centralized state in Southeast Asia. The Khmer Empire, centered in what is now Cambodia along the Mekong basin, built Angkor as a major urban and religious center that depended on a sophisticated water-management system. The barays were large artificial reservoirs used to store monsoon rains, regulate river flows from the Tonlé Sap–Mekong system, and supply irrigation for rice fields. This network kept water levels stable for agriculture and allowed a large population to sustain temple cities and complex architecture like Angkor Wat.

That combination of grand irrigation engineering and political authority is distinctive of the Khmer Empire, and is why this choice is the best fit. Other polities in the region—such as the maritime Srivijaya of Sumatra, or Funan and Dai Viet in different locales—are known for trade networks or earlier regional states, not for building Angkor or mastering baray-based water systems in the same way.