Temples of Angkor - Cambodia - page 242

An Empire is Born
The Angkorian period began with the rule of Jayavarman II (r 802-50). He was the first to
unify Cambodia's competing kingdoms before the birth of Angkor. His court was situated
at various locations, including Phnom Kulen, 40km northeast of Angkor Wat, and Roluos
(known then as Hariharalaya), 13km east of Siem Reap.
Jayavarman II proclaimed himself a devaraja (god-king) , the earthly representative of
the Hindu god Shiva, and built a 'temple-mountain' at Phnom Kulen, symbolising Shiva's
dwelling place of Mt Meru, the holy mountain at the centre of the universe. This set a pre-
cedent that became a dominant feature of the Angkorian period and accounts for the stag-
gering architectural productivity of the Khmers at this time.
Indravarman I (r 877-89) is believed to have been a usurper, and probably inherited the
mantle of devaraja through conquest. He built a 6.5-sq-km baray (reservoir) at Roluos
and established Preah Ko. The baray was the first stage of an irrigation system that cre-
ated a hydraulic city, the ancient Khmers mastering the cycle of nature to water their
lands. Form and function worked together in harmony, as the baray also had religious sig-
nificance, representing the oceans surrounding Mt Meru. Indravarman's final work was
Bakong, a pyramidal representation of Mt Meru.
Indravarman I's son Yasovarman I (r 889-910) looked further afield to celebrate his di-
vinity and glory in a temple-mountain of his own. He first built Lolei on an artificial is-
land in the baray established by his father, before beginning work on the Bakheng. Today
this hill is known as Phnom Bakheng, a favoured spot for viewing the sunset over Angkor
Wat. A raised highway was constructed to connect Phnom Bakheng with Roluos, 16km to
the southeast, and a large baray was constructed to the east of Phnom Bakheng. Today it
is known as the Eastern Baray but has entirely silted up. Yasovarman I also established the
temple-mountains of Phnom Krom and Phnom Bok.
After the death of Yasovarman I, power briefly shifted from the Angkor region to Koh
Ker, around 80km to the northeast, under another usurper king, Jayavarman IV (r
924-42). In AD 944 power returned again to Angkor under the leadership of Rajendravar-
man II (r 944-68), who built the Eastern Mebon and Pre Rup. The reign of his son Jayav-
arman V (r 968-1001) produced the Ta Keo and Banteay Srei temples; the latter was built
by a Brahman rather than the king.