Jayarajadevi (''fl.'' 1181), was the first queen consort of King

Jayavarman VII Jayavarman VII (), known posthumously as Mahaparamasaugata (, c. 1122–1218), was king of the Khmer Empire. He was the son of King Dharanindravarman II (r. 1150–1160) and Queen Sri Jayarajacudamani. He was the first king devoted to Buddhism, ...

of the

Khmer Empire The Khmer Empire was an empire in Southeast Asia, centered on Hydraulic empire, hydraulic cities in what is now northern Cambodia. Known as Kambuja (; ) by its inhabitants, it grew out of the former civilization of Chenla and lasted from 802 t ...

. She was the daughter of ‘kshatriyas, amongst the elite of the royal family’, and the younger sister of queen

Indradevi Indradevi (; floruit, fl. 1181) was a queen of the Khmer Empire through her marriage to king Jayavarman VII (r. 1181–1219). Reportedly, she influenced affairs of state through her spouse, particularly in favor of Buddhism. She was also the fir ...

. She and her sister were well-educated Buddhists. Indrani later stated that their father was ‘Ja … ’, descended from ‘Rudravarman’ and a woman entitled ‘queen’, and their mother was a descendant of Rajendradevi. Her spouse became king in 1181, making her queen. Her sister Indradevi are said to have ‘initiated ayarajadeviinto the peace and tranquillity of the teachings of the Buddha, away from the fire of torment’. After her conversion, queen Jayarajadevi became a teacher herself and: :‘took for her own daughters members of a group of girls who had been abandoned by their mothers … ndentered them in the religious life with clothes and gifts, according to the prescribed rites’. She trained the students to perform scenes from the

Jataka The ''Jātaka'' (Sanskrit for "Birth-Related" or "Birth Stories") are a voluminous body of literature native to the Indian subcontinent which mainly concern the previous births of Gautama Buddha in both human and animal form. Jataka stories we ...

as a means of instruction to others. When Jayavarman VII succeeded to the throne, queen Jayarajadevi was praised for donating all her property to the poor. Jayarajadevi died early on in her husband's reign. After her death, the king married her sister, Indradevi, who became the next queen. Queen Indradevi also took over her sister's schools and was appointed head of Nagendratunge, Tilakottare and Narendraśrama, the three ‘colleges’ of Buddhist doctrine and other sciences, which appeared to have been particularly for women and girls, maybe primarily from elite families.Jacobsen, Trudy, Lost goddesses: the denial of female power in Cambodian history, NIAS Press, Copenhagen, 2008

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History of Jayavarman VII
Year of birth missing Year of death missing Cambodian queens Cambodian Buddhists Khmer Empire 12th-century Cambodian women 12th-century Cambodian people Converts to Buddhism from Hinduism {{Cambodia-royal-stub