Which Southeast Asian empire is known for Hindu-Buddhist Angkor architecture as an example of Indianization?

• A. Srivijaya
• B. Khmer Empire
• C. Champa
• D. Ayutthaya

Answer: (B)

Indianization spread Hindu and Buddhist ideas, along with Indian art and temple-building styles, into Southeast Asia. The Khmer Empire, centered in what is now Cambodia, became the clearest beacon of that influence through its Angkor temple complexes. From about the 9th to the 15th centuries, Khmer rulers built monumental temples at Angkor—most famously Angkor Wat—designed as Hindu temples and later used as Buddhist sites. These structures showcase Indian architectural concepts, iconography, and religious storytelling expressed in sandstone towers, mandala layouts, and intricate bas-reliefs that depict Hindu deities and epic narratives. That combination—a powerful, temple-centered state producing large-scale Hindu-Buddhist architecture—is what makes the Khmer Empire the best answer. Other Southeast Asian polities such as Srivijaya, Champa, and Ayutthaya were influential in spreading Indian religion and culture, but they are not best known for the Angkor-style architecture that epitomizes Indianization like the Khmer.