Yasodharapura

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For the later, 10th-century, incarnation of the capital see Yasodharapura II, while the subsequent version, in the area of Angkor Thom, is described under Yasodharapura III

Yasodharapura
Native Nameយសោធរបុរៈ
BA#C1710049
SizeLarge
ConditionRuin
TypeAncient City
Location
Part ofAngkor
CommuneKok Chak
DistrictSiem Reap Municipality
ProvinceSiem Reap
CountryCambodia
Coordinates13.40221, 103.86608
History
FoundedLate 9th - Early 10th Century
BuilderYasovarman I
MaterialEarth
ReligionHinduism
DeityShiva



9999 Yasodharapura 1.jpg
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Site Size & Condition: Ancient City Yasodharapura (យសោធរបុរៈ - Pronounced: Ya-sod-a-por-rak).

Towards the end of the 9th-century, Yasovarman I relocated his capital from the existing site of Hariharalaya, today's Rolous, to the area around Prasat Phnom Bakheng lying north of present-day Siem Reap Town. Possibly the geographical constraints of a lakeside location along with a burgeoning population encouraged the king to construct a vast, new site around the 65m hill with a spectacular new state temple, Prasat Phnom Bakheng, on the summit. Earthen embankments and moat are presumed to have enclosed a 16 square kilometres site - even larger than the later capital Angkor Thom.

Today these astonishing constructions are largely forgotten and still a matter of historical debate. Our co-ordinates indicate the section astride the main temple access road, Charles De Gaulle Avenue, which leads from the town to Prasat Angkor Wat and which is the section the majority of visitors will pass through. (Even if they don't notice it!) The outlines of a moat to the south and southwest can still clearly be seen on satellite images (named CP807 by French archaeologists) with the southern wall estimated to lie some 600m south of the Angkor Wat moat. An as-yet-unidentified eastern wall and moat would have followed the (later) canalized channel of the Siem Reap River. The western wall - at least in part - corresponds to and doubled as, the eastern embankment of the Baray Toek Thla (West Baray), while the northern section would have been situated on, or close to, the east-west causeway of Angkor Thom.

Note that while the existence of the city is confirmed in numerous inscriptions, its precise form, size, and indeed whether it was even completed, are still a matter of debate. Whatever its original layout, the importance of the site is demonstrated by the continued use of the name Yasodharapura by subsequent kings - up to and including Jayavarman VII - to refer to the capital, even after the actual site had been moved north.


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