History of Cambodia
AngKor Period
The Angkor Kings (1000 -1431)
Udayadityavarman I (1001-1002) & Jyaviravarman (1002-1010)
When Jayavarman V passed away in 1000, the historical account of his rule ended with the crowning of the new king named Udayadityavarman I. He apparently became king through violent conflict. He ruled only for a few years before being ousted and killed in 1002. His rule was followed by a power struggle between two princes, Jayaviravarman and Suryavarman I.
The first prince ascended the throne in 1002, but his regime was consistently challenged by his rival Suryavarman I, who successfully overthrew him in 1010. During this decade of civil war, no significant monuments were built.
Suryavarman I (1010-1050)
His reign was long but not peaceful. Suryavarman I spent much of his time and energy defending his kingship. He was the first king who built his palace surrounded by a wall. His palace was situated in the vicinity of Angkor Thom (the Royal Complex). Suryavarman I claimed to be the descendant of Brahmin Kaundinya and princess Soma.
Later, in 1022, Suryavarman I expanded his territory to the west up to Lopburi in modern Thailand . The major temples built by him were the Preah Vihear on the Dangrek Mountain and the Phimeanakas, a modest temple in a pyramidal style located near his palace. Suryavarman I also started to build the second Angkor reservoir, the West Baray , which is almost twice as large as the East Baray .
Udayadityavarman II (1050-1066)
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Udayadityavarman II ruled over the Angkor Kingdom during a time of war. He was not the son of Suryavarman I, but a descendant from the line of Yasovarman I’s spouse.
A stone inscription made during his reign praised one of his faithful generals, Sangrama, who put down several major rebellions.
Udayadityavarman II built the renowned Baphoun Temple devoted to the god Shiva.
He completed the construction of the West Baray started in the time of his predecessor, and built the West Mebon , an earthen island, in the center.
A temple dedicated to the god Vishnu was constructed on the island, but has vanished. The West Baray reservoir is still in use today. |
Baphoun Temple
Harshavarman III (1066-1080)
Harshavarman III was the former king’s older brother. No monuments built by this king are known and there are almost no historical accounts referring to him. It is believed he died in a violent rebellion.
Jayavarman VI (1080-1107)
Jayavarman VI did not seem to have any direct connection with the royal family of the preceding kings. The center of his power was to the west of Angkor in the area of Phimai, now in Thailand . Jayavarman VI claimed to be the descendent of legendary Kambu and Mera (from Mount Mera). During his reign, there were few monuments built, except the one at the center of his power – the Phimai temple.
Dharanindravarman I (1107-1113)
Jayavarman VI died in 1107, and the throne was assumed by his elder brother Dharanindravarman I. He was ousted and killed in a civil war that lasted for only one day. His killer was his nephew, Suryavarman II, who later became one of the greatest kings of the Angkor Empire.
Suryavarman II (1113-1150)
Suryavarman II was a highly ambitious Khmer king. He was the builder of the most impressive temple of the Angkorian Empire, the Angkor Wat. Angkor Wat is a mountainous temple dedicated to the god Vishnu. It has five towers linked by galleries to signify the heavenly residence of Hindu gods. It is 65 meters/182 feet high and the outer rectangular enclo sure measures 1.5 km by 1.3 km (close to a mile on each side) and is surrounded by a moat 200 meters/560 feet wide.
In addition to its remarkable size, Angkor Wat also houses thousands of sculptures and stone carvings that showcase the delicacy of Khmer artworks. It took 37 years and over 50,000 workers to complete the construction of this temple. Not only a great builder, Suryavarman II was also a great warrior. He sacked several Champa states to the east and even waged an unsuccessful war with the strong Ly Dynasty of Vietnam .
To the west, he conquered the Haripunjaya Kingdom, one of the Mon tribal states in central Thailand , and extended his power as far north as the southern border of modern Laos and as far south as the border of the Grahi Kingdom on the Malay Peninsula . His territory expanded to the border of the Bagan kingdom (ancient Burma ) in the West. Other monuments built during the reign of Suryavarman II, in addition to Angkor Wat, are Beng Melea, Banteay Samre, Chey Say Tevoda, and Thommanon.
Minor Reigns (1150-1181)
No records exist to explain how Suryavarman II died. The last inscription referring to him was carved in 1145, when he was preparing to invade Vietnam . It is likely he died sometime between 1145 and 1150 on a battlefield. His death led to the decline of the Angkor Empire for a short time and the succeeding kings were both weak and tyrannical.
The minor rulers were Dharanindravarman II (1150-1160), Yasovarman II (1160-1165), and Tribhuvanadityavarman (1165-1181). Yasovarman II seized power from Dharanindravarman II and, in turn, was ousted by Tribhuvanadityavarman. In 1177, a Champa king, who was the bitter enemy of the Khmer, attacked the Angkor Empire by sailing his troops along the Mekong River. A fierce naval battle was fought on the Tonle Sap and resulted in the painful defeat of the Angkor Empire and its subsequent fall into the hands of the Champa.
The Khmer king Tribhuvandityavarman was under the subjugation of the Champa until 1181.
Jayavarman VII (1181-1219)
Being a Khmer prince, Jayavarman VII ruled over a Champa province or vishaya, which was under the Angkor Empire’s authority. When the Champas seized the Angkor Empire in 1177, Jayavarman VII fought against the intruders and was able to re-capture the capital of Yasodharapura, where he ascended the throne in 1181. The war with the Champa kingdom did not end immediately but continued for another 20 years.
In 1203, Jayavarman VII won a final victory and conquered the Champa kingdom. Jayavarman VII was the last great king of the Angkor . He liberalized and unified the country and built the new capital of Angkor Thom, which lies on the plain of Siem Reap north of Angkor Wat.
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At the center of Angkor Thom is the BayonTemple, famous for its 50 towers, each bearing the large faces of Bodhisattva Avalokiteshavara (a lord Buddha) on all four sides.
These faces are thought to be copied from the actual face of Jayavarman VII, and whose smiles are so gentle that it is often referred to as “the Khmer smile.”
This great king was a devout Buddhist of the Mahayana sect.
In addition to Angkor Thom and Bayon, Jayavarman VII also built other impressive temples and monuments such as Ta Phrom, Banteay Kdei, Neak Pean, and Sras Srang.
Jayavarman VII constructed an extensive road network throughout his empire and thus linked all the major towns to Angkor.This efficient road system facilitated the transportation of agricultural products and goods.
Along these roads were built 121 resting houses to accommodate the travelers and officials, and 102 hospitals to accommodate the sick. |
Bayon Temple (details)
The reign of Jayavarman VII was regarded as the peak period of the Angkor Empire as well as of the Khmer civilization, which began to decline gradually after the death of this great king in 1219.
Indravarman II (1219-1243)
Indravarman II, Jayavarman VII’s son, took the throne in 1219. It is believed that many of the great works initiated by Jayavarman VII were continued and completed by Indravarman II. Interestingly, few historical records about this king remain. They were probably destroyed by his enemy, who was also his successor.
Now the Angkor Empire’s power began to decline. In 1220, the Khmers retreated from many of the Champa states they had conquered earlier. At the same time, the Thais succeeded in driving the Khmer from the western frontier and established the first Thai kingdom of Sukhothai , whose descendants were to become the major threats to the Angkor Empire in the next two centuries.
Jayavarman VIII (1243-1295)
Jayavarman VIII was a strong believer in Hinduism, and a brutal enemy of Buddhism. He was responsible for the massive destruction of the Buddha statues in the empire; the original number was estimated to be in the tens of thousands. The main Buddha statue in the central shrine of Bayon was found sliced into three pieces and was replaced with the Hindu god Harihara. Jayavarman VIII transformed many Buddhist temples into Hindu shrines.
During his reign, the Mongol troops of Kublai Khan attacked the border of the Angkor Empire from the east in the year 1283. Jayavarman VIII did not wage war with the Mongols. He decided to pay tribute instead and so his empire survived. In 1295, Jayavarman VIII and his tyrannical regime were overthrown by his own son-in-law, Srindravarman.
Srindravarman (1295-1309)
The first inscription engraved in Pali indicated that the royal family had adopted Theravada Buddhism as their main religion, and thus the king was no longer regarded as deva-raja or “god-king.” Theravada Buddhism was introduced from Sri Lanka ( Ceylon ) and gradually influenced every level of the Angkor Empire.
In 1296, Chou Ta-kuan, the Chinese ambassador from the Yuan Dynasty (Mongols), visited the Angkor Empire and wrote an important historical document in the Chinese Chronicles about the Khmer. It is this chronicle that gives the majority of the information known about day-to-day Khmer life in the Angkor area.
Minor Reigns (1309-1431)
Following the reign of Srindravarman, there were very few historical records. The last stele engraved in 1327 was in Pali and no more inscriptions were found for the next two centuries. No more major temples or monuments were built during this period. The Khmers were no longer able to maintain their vast irrigation systems efficiently. Various dikes and canals silted up.
The rice crops, previously cultivated two to three times a year, dropped drastically since the Khmers could no longer prevent floods in the monsoon season. They also didn’t have enough water storage capability in the dry season. As productivity dropped, the empire was weakened.
The first Thai kingdom of Suhkothai , emerging after the Khmers were driven out in the early 13th century, was later absorbed by another Thai state, established as the Ayuthaya kingdom in 1351 by Ramathibodi I. The Ayuthaya kingdom became a major threat to the Angkor Empire and in 1431 a large Thai army marched on the road built by King Jayavarman VII from ChaoPhayaRiver Basin through Aranyapathet to attack Angkor and sack the city. This marked the end of the Angkor Empire.
Now the Angkor area began its own Dark Ages. There were few inscriptions found in later centuries. The long waning of the Cambodian empire after the fall of Angkor is not well documented. Only the creation of the French protectorate (1863) prevented its neighbors from swallowing it completely.
Pre-Angkor Period
The Angkor Kings (802 – 1000)
Post-Angkor Period
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