Lost Temples of Cambodia

Episode 1: Angkor Wat
Pauline Carroll gets unprecedented access to the world’s largest religious structure.

The vast abandoned temple of Angkor Wat is the world’s largest religious structure. But, despite its size, it was unknown to the rest of the world until relatively recently. Archaeologist Pauline Carroll visits Angkor, once the capital of the ancient Khmer Empire, and travels to the remote jungle where Angkor’s predecessor has been located, to uncover the history of the great empire.

Episode 2: Angkor to Banteay Chhmar
Pauline learns all about the incredible Jayavarman VII, the Khmer Empire’s greatest king.

Archaeologist Pauline Carroll gets acquainted with the Khmer empire’s greatest king, Jayavarman VII. She discovers his many military victories, unprecedented building projects, and how he shifted the state religion from Hinduism to Buddhism. She also discovers that he established the world’s first free national health service. She then visits a mysterious site that is still revealing secrets.

Episode 3: Banteay Toap to Angkor
What led to the decline and destruction of Cambodia’s great Khmer civilization?

Archaeologist Pauline Carroll concludes her exploration of Cambodia’s incredible religious structures by investigating the reasons behind the empire’s destruction. Angkor was once the biggest city on Earth outside China. But within two centuries it had been abandoned and its secrets lost to the encroaching jungle. Why did the empire fail and what lessons can be learned from its rise and fall?