Jayavarman II
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Jayavarman II ( km, ជ័យវរ្ម័នទី២; c. 770 – 850) (reigned c. 802–850) was a Khmer prince who founded and became the ruler of the Khmer Empire (
Cambodia Cambodia (; also Kampuchea ; km, កម្ពុជា, UNGEGN: ), officially the Kingdom of Cambodia, is a country located in the southern portion of the Indochinese Peninsula in Southeast Asia, spanning an area of , bordered by Thailand t ...
) after unifying the Khmer civilization. The Khmer Empire was the dominant civilization in
mainland Southeast Asia Mainland Southeast Asia, also known as the Indochinese Peninsula or Indochina, is the continental portion of Southeast Asia. It lies east of the Indian subcontinent and south of Mainland China and is bordered by the Indian Ocean to the west an ...
from the 9th century until the mid-15th century. Jayavarman II was a powerful Khmer king who declared independence from a polity inscriptions named "Java". Jayavarman II founded many capitals such as
Mahendraparvata Mahendraparvata ( km, មហេន្ទ្របវ៌ត) is an ancient city of the Khmer Empire era in Cambodia. The existence of the city has been known for decades, but much of it lay concealed by forest and earth. The city was uncovered ...
, Indrapura, Amarendrapura, and
Hariharalaya Hariharalaya ( km, ហរិហរាល័យ, Hariharalay) was an ancient city and capital of the Khmer empire located near Siem Reap, Cambodia in an area now called Roluos ( Khmer: រលួស). Today, all that remains of the city are the ...
. Before Jayavarman II came to power, there was much fighting among local overlords who ruled different parts of Cambodia. No inscriptions by Jayavarman II have been found. Future kings of the Khmer Empire described him as a warrior and the most powerful king from that time frame that they could recall. Historians formerly dated his reign as running from 802 AD to 835 AD.


Universal monarch

Jayavarman II is widely regarded as the king that set the foundation of the Angkor period in Cambodian history, beginning with the grandiose consecration ritual he conducted in 802 on Mount
Mahendraparvata Mahendraparvata ( km, មហេន្ទ្របវ៌ត) is an ancient city of the Khmer Empire era in Cambodia. The existence of the city has been known for decades, but much of it lay concealed by forest and earth. The city was uncovered ...
, now known as
Phnom Kulen Phnom Kulen (or Kulen Mountain; km, ភ្នំគូលែន, ; ) is a mountain range and a part of Phnom Kulen National Park in Siem Reap Province, Cambodia. Geography Rather than a hill range, Phnom Kulen is an isolated chain of small m ...
, to celebrate the independence of the Khmer Empire from "Java". At that ceremony, he was proclaimed a universal monarch (''Kamraten jagad ta Raja'' in Khmer) or God King (''Deva Raja'' in Sanskrit). According to some sources, he had resided for some time in
Java Java (; id, Jawa, ; jv, ꦗꦮ; su, ) is one of the Greater Sunda Islands in Indonesia. It is bordered by the Indian Ocean to the south and the Java Sea to the north. With a population of 151.6 million people, Java is the world's List ...
during the reign of the
Sailendra The Shailendra dynasty (, derived from Sanskrit combined words ''Śaila'' and ''Indra'', meaning "King of the Mountain", also spelled Sailendra, Syailendra or Selendra) was the name of a notable Indianised dynasty that emerged in 8th-century ...
Dynasty, or "The Lords of Mountains", and as such the concept of
Devaraja "Devarāja" was the religious order of the "god-king," or deified monarch in medieval Southeast Asia. The devarāja order grew out of both Hinduism and separate local traditions depending on the area. It taught that the king was a divine univ ...
or God King was ostensibly imported from Java. At that time, the Sailendra Dynasty allegedly ruled over Java,
Sumatra Sumatra is one of the Sunda Islands of western Indonesia. It is the largest island that is fully within Indonesian territory, as well as the sixth-largest island in the world at 473,481 km2 (182,812 mi.2), not including adjacent i ...
, the
Malay Peninsula The Malay Peninsula (Malay: ''Semenanjung Tanah Melayu'') is a peninsula in Mainland Southeast Asia. The landmass runs approximately north–south, and at its terminus, it is the southernmost point of the Asian continental mainland. The area ...
and parts of Cambodia. An inscription from the
Sdok Kak Thom Sdok Kok Thom ( th, สด๊กก๊อกธม, ''Sadok Kok Thom'', ; km, ស្តុកកក់ធំ, ), or Sdok Kak Thom, is an 11th-century Khmer temple in present-day Thailand, located about northeast of the Thai border town of Aran ...
temple recounts that at Mahendraparvata, Jayavarman II took part in a ritual performed by the
Brahman In Hinduism, ''Brahman'' ( sa, ब्रह्मन्) connotes the highest universal principle, the ultimate reality in the universe.P. T. Raju (2006), ''Idealistic Thought of India'', Routledge, , page 426 and Conclusion chapter part X ...
Hiranyadama, and his chief priest Lord Sivakaivalya, a
devaraja "Devarāja" was the religious order of the "god-king," or deified monarch in medieval Southeast Asia. The devarāja order grew out of both Hinduism and separate local traditions depending on the area. It taught that the king was a divine univ ...
( km, ទេវរាជា) which placed him as a ''chakravartin'', Lord of the Universe. Taken in sum, the record suggests that Jayavarman and his followers moved over the course of some years from southeast Cambodia to the northwest, subduing various principalities along the way. Jayavarman II founded
Hariharalaya Hariharalaya ( km, ហរិហរាល័យ, Hariharalay) was an ancient city and capital of the Khmer empire located near Siem Reap, Cambodia in an area now called Roluos ( Khmer: រលួស). Today, all that remains of the city are the ...
near present-day
Roluos Roluos, also Phumi Roluos Chas, is a small town and khum (commune) of Svay Chek District in Banteay Meanchey Province in north-western Cambodia. It is located on road 56, 24km north of Sisophon. Villages * Baek Chan Thmei * Khvav Kaeut * Stu ...
, the first settlement in what would later become the Khmer Empire. Historian Claude Jacques writes that he first seized the city of
Vyadhapura Vyadhapura ( km, វ្យាធបុរៈ Sanskrit: व्याधपूर ''Vyādhapūra'') was an ancient city of the Funan civilization, likely in what is now Ba Phnum District in the province of Prey Veng, Cambodia. It was the capital ...
in the southeast, then pushed up the
Mekong River The Mekong or Mekong River is a trans-boundary river in East Asia and Southeast Asia. It is the world's twelfth longest river and the third longest in Asia. Its estimated length is , and it drains an area of , discharging of water annuall ...
to take
Sambhupura Isanapura (also known as Sambhupura, or Sambor of St'ung Sen) was the capital of the ancient kingdom of Chenla. It is located in what is now Kampong Thom Province in Cambodia. The city was founded in about 618 at Leek Sambor Kuk by King Isanava ...
. He later installed himself at another city state, now known as
Banteay Prei Nokor Banteay Prei Nokor ( km, បន្ទាយព្រៃនគរ) is an ancient temple complex in the northwest of Kompong Cham, Cambodia. Known locally as temple of "Wat Nokor in Khum of Kompong Siem", or "Wat Angkor", around 2km from the prov ...
, near present-day Kompong Cham. Jacques believes that from there he pressed on to Wat Pu, seat of a city-state in present-day southern
Laos Laos (, ''Lāo'' )), officially the Lao People's Democratic Republic ( Lao: ສາທາລະນະລັດ ປະຊາທິປະໄຕ ປະຊາຊົນລາວ, French: République démocratique populaire lao), is a socialist ...
, then moved along the Dangrek Mountains to arrive in the Angkor region. Later he brought pressure on local Khmer leaders located to the west, but they fought back and drove him to the summit of present-day
Phnom Kulen Phnom Kulen (or Kulen Mountain; km, ភ្នំគូលែន, ; ) is a mountain range and a part of Phnom Kulen National Park in Siem Reap Province, Cambodia. Geography Rather than a hill range, Phnom Kulen is an isolated chain of small m ...
, about 50 kilometers east of Angkor, where the Brahman declared independence. Jacques suggests that this step might have been intended to affirm Jayavarman's authority in the face of strong resistance. Once established in the Angkor region, Jayavarman II appears to have reigned not only in Hariharalaya, located just north of the Tonle Sap lake, but also at a place that inscriptions call Amarendrapura. It has not been positively identified, though some historians believe it to be a now lost settlement at the western end of the
West Baray The West Baray ( km, បារាយណ៍ខាងលិច, UNGEGN: , ALA-LC: ) or Baray Teuk Thla ( km, បារាយណ៍ទឹកថ្លា, UNGEGN: , ALA-LC: ; "Clear Water Reservoir") is a baray, or reservoir, at Angkor, Cambodi ...
, the eight kilometer-long holy reservoir that was built about two centuries after his death. No single temple is positively associated with Jayavarman, but some historians suggest he may have built
Ak Yum Ak Yum ( km, អកយំ, ) is an ancient temple in the Angkor region of Cambodia.Higham, C., 2014, Early Mainland Southeast Asia, Bangkok: River Books Co., Ltd., Helen Jessup dates the temple to the 8th century, and states it is the oldest kn ...
, a brick stepped
pyramid A pyramid (from el, πυραμίς ') is a structure whose outer surfaces are triangular and converge to a single step at the top, making the shape roughly a pyramid in the geometric sense. The base of a pyramid can be trilateral, quadrilat ...
, now largely ruined, at the southern edge of the West Baray. The temple was a forerunner to the mountain-temple architectural form of later Khmer kings. Despite his key role in Khmer history, few firm facts survive about Jayavarman. No inscriptions authored by him have been found, but he is mentioned in numerous others, some of them written long after his death. He appears to have been of aristocratic birth, beginning his career of conquest in the southeast of present-day
Cambodia Cambodia (; also Kampuchea ; km, កម្ពុជា, UNGEGN: ), officially the Kingdom of Cambodia, is a country located in the southern portion of the Indochinese Peninsula in Southeast Asia, spanning an area of , bordered by Thailand t ...
. He may have been known as Jayavarman Ibis at that time. “For the prosperity of the people in this perfectly pure royal race, great lotus which no longer has a stalk, he rose like a new flower,” declares one inscription. Various other details are recounted in inscriptions: he married a woman named Hyang Amrita; and he dedicated a foundation at Lobok Srot, in the southeast.


Sdok Kak Thom

The most valuable inscription concerning Jayavarman II is the one dated to 1052 AD, two centuries after his death, found at the
Sdok Kak Thom Sdok Kok Thom ( th, สด๊กก๊อกธม, ''Sadok Kok Thom'', ; km, ស្តុកកក់ធំ, ), or Sdok Kak Thom, is an 11th-century Khmer temple in present-day Thailand, located about northeast of the Thai border town of Aran ...
temple in present-day
Thailand Thailand ( ), historically known as Siam () and officially the Kingdom of Thailand, is a country in Southeast Asia, located at the centre of the Indochinese Peninsula, spanning , with a population of almost 70 million. The country is bo ...
.Higham, C., 2014, Early Mainland Southeast Asia, Bangkok: River Books Co., Ltd., The inscription states “When His Majesty Paramesvara came from Java to reign in the royal city of Indrapura,…Sivakaivalya, the family’s ''
purohit Purohita ( sa, पुरोहित), in the Hindu context, means ''chaplain'' or ''family priest'' within the Vedic priesthood. In Thailand and Cambodia, it refers to the royal chaplains. Etymology The word ''purohita'' derives from the S ...
'', was serving as his guru and held the post of royal chaplain to His Majesty,” using the king’s posthumous name. In a later passage, the text says that a Brahman named Hiranyadama, “proficient in the lore of magic power, came from Janapada in response to His Majesty’s having invited him to perform a sublime rite which would release Kambujadesa he kingdomfrom being any longer subject to Java.” The text also recounts the creation of the cult of the devaraja, the key religious ceremony in the court of Jayavarman and subsequent Khmer people.


Interpretations on "Java"

The word in the inscription that has often been translated as "Java" has caused endless debate. Some early scholars, such as
George Coedès George may refer to: People * George (given name) * George (surname) * George (singer), American-Canadian singer George Nozuka, known by the mononym George * George Washington, First President of the United States * George W. Bush, 43rd Preside ...
and Lawrence Palmer Briggs, have established the notion that it refers to the island of
Java Java (; id, Jawa, ; jv, ꦗꦮ; su, ) is one of the Greater Sunda Islands in Indonesia. It is bordered by the Indian Ocean to the south and the Java Sea to the north. With a population of 151.6 million people, Java is the world's List ...
in present-day
Indonesia Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania between the Indian and Pacific oceans. It consists of over 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, Java, Sulawesi, and parts of Borneo and New Guine ...
. The mythical stories of battles between the Khmers and Javanese correspond in their view to the Sailendra dynasty that ruled both Java and Sumatran
Srivijaya Srivijaya ( id, Sriwijaya) was a Buddhist thalassocratic empire based on the island of Sumatra (in modern-day Indonesia), which influenced much of Southeast Asia. Srivijaya was an important centre for the expansion of Buddhism from the 7th t ...
. Later scholars such as Charles Higham doubt that the word refers to the island. Michael Vickery has re-interpreted the word to mean " the Chams", the Khmers' neighbors to the east, described a ''chvea''.Higham, C., 2001, The Civilization of Angkor, London: Weidenfeld & Nicolson, Other scholars like Takashi Suzuki suggest that "Java" is on the Malay Peninsula instead, or particularly
Kedah Kedah (), also known by its honorific Darul Aman (Islam), Aman and historically as Queda, is a States and federal territories of Malaysia, state of Malaysia, located in the northwestern part of Peninsular Malaysia. The state covers a total area ...
, the center of Srivijaya under the Sailendra dynasty.


Historical assessment

More broadly, debate continues as to whether Jayavarman II’s rule truly represented a seminal turning point in Khmer history, the creation of an independent unified state from small feuding principalities, or was instead part of a long process toward that end. Inscriptions indicate that later Khmer kings treated him as the august first in their line and font of their own legitimacy, but Hindu civilization had existed already for centuries in the region; the fact that Jayavarman was the second monarch to carry that name is a sign that there was already long line of kings of significant states in the region.Mabbett and Chandler, ''The Khmers’’ pp. 87-89.


Posthumous name

Jayavarman II died in 850 AD and received the posthumous name of Parameshwara, "the supreme ruler," an epithet of Sri Shiva. After him, the throne was held by his son
Jayavarman III Very little is known about Jayavarman II's son and successor, Jayavarman III ( km, ជ័យវរ្ម័នទី៣), or Vishnuloka, the second ruler of Angkor. The future Khmer king, Yasovarman I Yasovarman I ( km, ព្រះបាទយ ...
and two other kings of the family into which he had married. He was formally honored along with these two kings and their wives in the
Preah Ko Preah Ko ( km, ប្រាសាទព្រះគោ, "The Sacred Bull") was the first temple to be built in the ancient and now defunct city of Hariharalaya (in the area that today is called Roluos), some 15 kilometers south-east of the main ...
temple in Roulous, built by King
Indravarman I Indravarman I ( km, ឥន្រ្ទវរ្ម័នទី១) was a ruler of Khmer Empire who reigned from Hariharalaya between 877/78 and 889/890 CE. Indravarman's ancestors According to the inscriptions of the Práḥ Kô temple, consec ...
and inaugurated in 880 AD.


Notes


References

* Sak-Humphry, Chhany. ''The Sdok Kak Thom Inscription''. The Edition of the Buddhist Institute 2005. * Higham, Charles. ''The Civilization of Angkor''. University of California Press 2001. * Briggs, Lawrence Palmer. ''The Ancient Khmer Empire''. Transactions of the American Philosophical Society 1951. * Mabbett, Ian and Chandler, David. ''The Khmers.'' Blackwell Publishers Ltd. 1996. * Coedès, Georges. ''Les capitales de Jayavarman II.''. Bulletin de l'EFEO (Paris), 28 (1928). * * Jacques, Claude and Lafond, Philippe. ''The Khmer Empire: Cities and Sanctuaries from 5th to 13th Century''. River Books 007 * Jacques, Claude. ''La carrière de Jayavarman II.'', Bulletin de l'EFEO (Paris), 59 (1972): 205-220. * Jacques, Claude. ''On Jayavarman II., the Founder of the Khmer Empire''. Southeast Asian Archaeology 3 (1992): 1-5. * Jackson, Rees and Dau Du Gau "The Khmer Empire: Jayavarman the II/History" (2001) (New-Zealand)


External links


Jayavarman II
at ''
History Today ''History Today'' is an illustrated history magazine. Published monthly in London since January 1951, it presents serious and authoritative history to as wide a public as possible. The magazine covers all periods and geographical regions and pub ...
'' {{DEFAULTSORT:Jayavarman 02 8th-century Cambodian monarchs Hindu monarchs Khmer Empire Cambodian Hindus Year of birth unknown Year of death unknown 9th-century Cambodian monarchs Cambodian people of Indonesian descent