Mahayanism appears to have flourished here especially from the tenth to the thirteenth centuries and throughout the greater part of this period we find the same feature that its principal devotees were not the kings but their ministers.  Suryavarman I (A.D. 1049) and Jayavarman VII (A.D. 1221) in some sense deserved the name of Buddhists since the posthumous title of the former was Nirvanapada and the latter left a long inscription[299] beginning with a definitely Buddhist invocation.  Yet an inscription of Suryavarman which states in its second verse that only the word of the Buddha is true, opens by singing the praises of Siva, and Jayavarman certainly did not neglect the Brahmanic gods.  But for about a hundred years there was a series of great ministers who specially encouraged Buddhism.  Such were Satyavarman (c. 900 A.D.), who was charged with the erection of the building in Angkor known as Phimeanakas; Kavindrarimathana, minister under Rajendravarman II and Jayavarman V, who erected many Buddhist statues and Kirtipandita, minister of Jayavarman V. Kirtipandita was the author[300] of the inscription found at Srey Santhor, which states that thanks to his efforts the pure doctrine of the Buddha reappeared like the moon from behind the clouds or the sun at dawn.

It may be easily imagined that the power enjoyed by the court chaplain would dispose the intelligent classes to revolt against this hierarchy and to favour liberty and variety in religion, so far as was safe.  Possibly the kings, while co-operating with a priesthood which recognized them as semi-divine, were glad enough to let other religious elements form some sort of counterpoise to a priestly family which threatened to be omnipotent.  Though the identification of Sivaism and Buddhism became so complete that we actually find a Trinity composed of Padmodbhava (Brahma), Ambhojanetra (Vishnu) and the Buddha,[301] the inscriptions of the Buddhist ministers are marked by a certain diplomacy and self-congratulation on the success of their efforts, as if they felt that their position was meritorious, yet delicate.

Thus in an inscription, the object of which seems to be to record the erection of a statue of Prajna-paramita by Kavindrarimathana we are told that the king charged him with the embellishment of Yasodharapura because “though an eminent Buddhist” his loyalty was above suspicion.[302] The same minister erected three towers at Bat Cum with inscriptions[303] which record the dedication of a tank.  The first invokes the Buddha, Vajrapani[304] and Lokesvara.  In the others Lokesvara is replaced by Prajna-paramita who here, as elsewhere, is treated as a goddess or Sakti and referred to as Devi in another stanza.[305] The three inscriptions commemorate the construction of a sacred tank but, though the author was a Buddhist, he expressly restricts the use of it to Brahmanic functionaries.

The inscription of Srey Santhor[306] (c. 975 A.D.) describes the successful efforts of Kirtipandita to restore Buddhism and gives the instructions of the king (Jayavarman V) as to its status.  The royal chaplain is by no means to abandon the worship of Siva but he is to be well versed in Buddhist learning and on feast days he will bathe the statue of the Buddha with due ceremony.