THE FOUNDING OF ANGKOR WAT

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When around 886 or 889 Indravarman died, the question of his succession stirred a few conflicts. Fighting among pretenders to the throne occurred around Indravarman I's palace. It is believed the Bakong temple was profaned during the fighting and the court moved once again. Indravarman's son Yaçovarman I was sacred in 889. The court was displaced to a site 15km northwest of Phnom Bakeng, establishing the first city of Angkor. Yaçovarman I's primary work was to create another water reservoir -the Orienta Baray now dried out. He also built Lolei temple on the Roluos site and the temples of the two mounts (Phnom) in the valley of Angkor: Phnom Krom and Phnom Bok. In 906 he erected the Bakeng, which was then the centre of the capital. He died in 910. His son Hashavarman I succeeded him and reigned for a decade. Among his achievements is the pyramid of Baksei Chamkrong, not far from the Bakeng. More than ten years later, his son Içavarman II succeeded him until his death around 928. But in 921 Jayavarman IV sacred himself King of the Kings at Koh Ker, about 70 kilometres northeast of Angkor. It is thought he moved the capital while the legitimate monarch stayed at Angkor until his death. For seven years (until 928) there were two kings simultaneously, one in Angkor and the other in Koh Ker. The son of the first king, Hashavarman II was sacred in 940 but he soon lost his throne to Rajendravarman king of Bhavapura, who proclaimed himself supreme King of Kings. He established himself in the region of Angkor and perpetuated Yaçovarman I's work. We owe him the Oriental Mebon temple in the middle of the island located in the centre of the oriental Baray, as well as Pre Rup and Phimeanakas temples.
During the same period other monuments were erected by important dignitaries, amongst them the jewel of jewels: Bantey Srei, built in 967 by and for one Brahman.
At the end of his reign, Rajendravarman imposed a significant reform: He abolished all the old kingdoms and transformed them into provinces. The former kings remained kings but only in title. These measures were not easily accepted and a few revolts had to be crushed. At the death of the supreme monarch in 968 Jayavarman V, one of his very young sons, succeeded him. Until Jayavarman V's death in 1001, the Kingdom was governed by Brahmans who had already been influential during his father's time.

Jayavarman V did not leave any heirs. Ten years of troubles and chaos followed his death. Two contenders to the throne, Jayaviravarman and Suryavarman I fought until 1010. The latter won. But who was this Suryavarman I? Was he, as some say, a Buddhist warrior-prince from Malay? His claim to the throne seems no more legitimate than that of his opponent. Actually, both seem to have had no family links to Jayavarman V, and it appears the hectic accession to the throne was caused by tumults created by administrative reforms led by Rajendravarman. Once king, Suryavarman had his palace built in the compound of Angkor Thom and erected the Phimeanakas. He died around 1050 after about fifty years of reign. He left behind him the construction of the "Occidental" Baray, an eight kilometres long and 2200 metres wide water reservoir. He also initiated the building of Preah Vihear -now accessible to tourists again after being a Khmer Rouge's stronghold for a few years. This spectacular temple is built at the top of the Dangrek Mountains, overlooking Cambodia. We also owe him the construction of Preah Kan and Phnom Chisor temple in the south of the kingdom. He died around 1047. His successor Udayadityavarman II, who might have been his son, reigned for sixteen years and erected the Occidental Mebon in the middle of the Occidental Baray in the centre of the city. He also built the Baphuon temple, "the ornament of the three worlds". He died around 1066 and was succeeded by his youngest brother Hashavarman III, who continued the struggle against internal rebellions and fought back assaults from the Muslim Chams. In 1080 Jayavarman VI, an usurper without any royal connection who owned a kingdom in what is now Thailand, created or contributed to the creation of a third dynasty that lasted until 1160. Traces left by this king are scattered all around Cambodia, but nothing about him can be found in Angkor. His brother took over the succession in 1107, but was eliminated by his nephew Suryavarman II who killed him during a battle around the year 1112. During his forty years of reign he warred against Muslims, but also against the inhabitants of what is today Vietnam while sending ambassadors to China whose emperor recognised him as his "great vassal". He undertook the construction of the most prestigious mountain-temple, Angkor Vat, the sanctuary dedicated to Vishnu and covering 200 hectares of land.
Jayavarman VI's reign was one of the most glorious ones in the history of Angkor, but was unfortunately followedby 30 years of turmoil. Yaçovarman II, successor to Suryavarman II, was klled around 1160 by one of his servants, a mere Mandarin. The latter ruled until the 1177 Cham occupation. Lead by a Chinese, the Cham fleet sailed up the Tonle Sap to Angkor. The ensuing bloddy battles saw the city fall to the Chams. The king was killed and the city ransacked and looted. After 4 years of occupation, Jayavarman VII (1181-1201), also known as the Leper King, chased the Chams away and gave the country some of its former glory back. The last fighting occured around 1190 when Khmer armies took the Cham capital. The Cham king was taken into captivity and in 1203 his former kingdom was assimilated as just another Khmer province. Jayavarman VII was most certainly the greatest king in Khmer history, controlling an area streching from Vientiane in the North all the way to South Vietnam. He was also a frenetic builder. He supervised the building of Ta Phrom monastery in 1186 followed by Preah Khan (1191) and Neak Pan temples. He erected the Bayon in the centre of the capital referred to today as Angkor Thom, which he surrounded by walls and moats. He restructured the road system and built shelters for travellers as well as numerous hospitals. The date of his death is not known with accuracy. His successor Jayavarman VIII lived through a long reign that saw the first Mongols attacks on Cambodia in 1283. Around the same time, Thailand also decided to launch invasions on Cambodian territory. In 1295, Jayavarman VIII abdicated in favor of his brother-in-law Crindravarman. Under Siam influence the latter intoduced Theravada Buddhism from Ceylon to Cambodia. Mahayana Buddhism was discarded. His dynasty slowly subsided until its disappearance in 1327. Of the following period, we know nothing. No inscriptions remain. The Royal Chronicles do not mention any reliable name for a king. According to the legend, the last king was accidently killed by a gardener while picking sweet cucumbers and Khmer and Siamese princes fought each others for the Cambodian throne. In 1431 or 1432, the capital was abandoned to the jungle. Over a century later in 1550, King Ang Chan discovered Angkor by chance while hunting. He was so stunned by the beauty of the place that he moved his court. The following years saw Angkor brought back to life even though the capital city remained Lovek, until 1594 when it was conquered by Thailand. Once again Angkor fell into oblivion.