Hinayanist Buddhism was a religion of the common people, quite different from the Mahayanist Buddhism of Jayavarman VII and the Hindu-Khmer religion of the previous Khmer emperors, who worshipped the Hindu gods [G 29 / Siva] and [G 34 / Vishnu]. Both these religions upheld the right of kings to rule with absolute authority, enabling them to tax and work their people very harshly. Both religions required vast temples built at the expense of the people. Worship was not for the common people, but for an elite of priests, who could preach to hundreds or even thousands in a single temple.
Hinayanist Buddhism advocated a life of simplicity and was naturally attractive to a largely agrarian peasant population. Its priests did not live in grand temples built by the taxes and forced labor of the people. They lived in simple grass huts, leading a frugal, contemplative life.
Hinayanist Buddhism also preached a simple kind of democracy. As this religion spread in Cambodia, popular discontent with a rich, decadent nobility and absolute rulers increased. The people grew rebellious and simply refused to support the kind of building programs which the Khmer kings had demanded of them.
