Tour guides are taught to say that Hindus defaced Buddhist images. The evidence and logic tells the story the other way around. Theravada Buddhists are the ones who have issues with Lokesvara / Avalokiteshvara whose images were almost totally removed or defaced. Avalokiteshvara was a central figure in Khmer spirituality and it is a threat to Theravada but not to Mahayanist and Hindu movements, because they fully embrace the teaching and ethics of equality of all sentient beings including women. Even at this present day we see the Govt sponsored and instituted Theravada plundering the temples, theravadinizing the temples, placing buddha statues over originals and constructing NEW haughty golden buddhist shrines in the UNESCO heritage complex. Avalokiteshvara is synonomous with compassion and equality and salvation of all sentient beings from samsara. Theravada hold different values and the monks will tell you, as they told me, that Avalokiteshvara stands to usurp the Khmer way as Theravadins are managing it.