Towards the end of the eighth century, a young and impetuous king ruled the throne of Kambuja. In a rash moment of boastfulness, he told his courtiers that he wanted the head of the Javanese king, Zagab.
Zagab was a powerful ruler of a great dynasty and when he heard what the young Kambujan king had said, he decided to teach him a lesson. However, he did not believe in punishing a whole people for the words of their irresponsible king. He therefore invaded Cambodia, took the capital city and instead of sacking the city, he simply demanded the head of the young king.
Zagab returned to Java with the head of the young Khmer king, leaving the rest of the kingdom undisturbed. The story ends with Zagab choosing a new ruler, the wise young man who became King Jayavarman II, after taking him to Java to train him in the art of kingship.
The spirit of this legend is based on truth, even if not all the actual facts are true. The Saliendra Dynasty which ruled Sumatra, Java and Malaya was extremely powerful in the eighth and ninth centuries and made regular raids on Annam and Champa. They too were influenced by Indian traditions and society. They seem to have had much control over Cambodia during the later eighth century, especially after the Khmer Kingdom of Chenla began disintegrating. It is highly likely they occupied Chenla during the ninth century. Jayavarman II spent some time in the Javanese court and was certainly influenced by Javanese theories of kingship.
