Yasodharapura III

From Beyond Angkor
Jump to navigation Jump to search

For Yasovarman I's city, constructed around Phnom Bakheng, see Yasodharapura, while for the 10th-century capital to the east of Angkor, see Yasodharapura II

Yasodharapura III
Native Nameយសោធរបុរៈ
Alternative nameAngkor Thom, Jayashri
BA#C1710331
SizeLarge
ConditionIntact
TypeAncient City
Location
CommuneKok Chak
DistrictKrong Siem Reap
ProvinceSiem Reap
CountryCambodia
Coordinates13.44105, 103.86113
History
Founded11th - 15th Century
BuilderJayaviravarman, Suryavarman I, Udayadityavarman II, Dharanindravarman I, Suryavarman II, Dharanindravarman II Yasovarman II, Jayavarman VII
MaterialSandstone, Laterite
ReligionHindu, Buddhist
DeityShiva, Vishnu, Lokeshvara
UNESCO Inscription1992



C1710331 Yasodharapura III 4.jpg
5.00
(one vote)


Site Size & Condition: Ancient City Yasodharapura III (យសោធរបុរៈ - Pronounced: Ya-sod-hara-por-ra)


Untangling the highly complex sequence of more than 500 years of overlayed, overlapping, renovated and rebuilt cities in what is today the central Angkor area is a near-impossible task so the below is a round-up of some of the most widely accepted theories along with a certain amount of admitted conjecture on our part.

After the Sambor Prei Kuk period subsequent early capitals appear to have skirted around this region with Mahendraparvata to the north (Phnom Kulen), probable locations west of modern-day Siem Reap for Purandarapura and Aninditapura and Hariharalaya at Rolous to the east before Yasovarman constructed his late 9th - early 10th-century site of Yasodharapura around Phnom Bakheng in what is broadly referred to today as Angkor.

After a brief interval at remote Koh Ker (Lingapura (Preah Vihear)) and a late 10th-century sojourn in Angkor's eastern quadrant, (see Yasodharapura II), the urban focus appears to have moved to the present-day Angkor Thom area where it was to remain until its final abandonment in the 15th-century. With a few minor tweaks (and one or 2 possible exceptions) the capital of the subsequent long list of Angkor kings seems to have remained more or less fixed. While undoubtedly various monarchs may well have christened their own versions to reflect their personal status and power the prestigious old name of Yasodharapura also appears to have persisted. For convenience, and also simply because we have no reliable record of what personalised title Udayadityavarman II or Dharanindravarman I may have favored for their own royal cities, we're referring to the 11th-century onwards site as Yasodharapura III.

The brief turn of the 11th-century reign of Jayaviravarman saw the construction of Prasat Khleang Khang Cheung, or North Khleang, probably indicating the existence of some form of structure on the Royal Palace site while the subsequent reign of Suryavarman I saw extensive building work in the area with the addition of the South Khleang, (Prasat Khleang Khang Thbong), Prasat Phimeanakas and possibly the Suor Prat Towers. Udayadityavarman II's massive, mid-11th-century Prasat Baphuon was the most ambitious structure so far and as royal temples generally, (although not always), had a central location, the city's focal point change little from then on as the adjacent Prasat Bayon implies.

2 subsequent kings who did break the mold somewhat were Jayavarman VI and of course Suryavarman II with his siting of Angkor Wat a short distance to the south. Despite a relatively long reign the former monarch left no confirmed structures at Angkor and appears to have concentrated all his architectural efforts north of the Dandreks in what is today Thailand. There's no evidence to believe the political and administrative capital didn't remain at Angkor but the suspected usurper clearly preferred his personal abode to stay at the ancestral home of Phimai. With regards the latter ruler, as vast and impressive as his temple project was, there's no evidence of any new palace structure at Angkor Wat and the enclosed area is simply too limited in size to suggest it absorbed the entire capital. Again, the main urban area was more than likely still focused on the Angkor Thom area.

Much of what we see today in our suggested Yasodharapura III area of course dates to the Jayavarman VII period, corresponding to what is known as Angkor Thom. The impressive walls and moat were clearly added as a reaction to the traumatic late 12th-century sacking of the city by the Chams and it's uncertain what, if any, prior defenses had been in place. If one takes state temples as geographical centre points then it would be logical to see several overlapping and adjacent walls, embankments and/or moats corresponding to Ta Keo, Phimeanakas, Baphuon, etc. These are however conspicuous by their absence. Historically, many city sites lacked obvious surrounding defensive structures - e.g. Hariharalaya, while Yasodharapura's are debated and were at best incomplete - and it's plausible that major defensive works were only undertaken in times of perceived insecurity.

These defined city walls and moat of Yasodharapura III were probably a late 12th innovation - with the Chams in mind - and of course, served in later times with the rise of Siam to the west, but for most of its life, the city was more likely to have been a vast, low-density urban sprawl with the political, administrative and ceremonial centred in the region of Angkor Thom.


Map Location

Image Gallery

  • Suryavarman I's royal temple of Phimeanakas

    Suryavarman I's royal temple of Phimeanakas

  • The moat at Angkor Thom

    The moat at Angkor Thom

  • Baphuon - an early royal temple

    Baphuon - an early royal temple

  • Bayon - state temple and central point of Angkor Thom

    Bayon - state temple and central point of Angkor Thom

  • South gate, casueway and moat

    South gate, casueway and moat

If you would like to upload additional images to the gallery, please refer to the Upload Instructions guide

Historic Archive

A collection of historic photographs, artist sketches, maps etc. (Please ensure that anything you do upload is free of copyright and/or you have permission from the original photographer/artist/author to share)

Nearby Sites

External Links

Links to additional resources such as articles, websites, videos etc.

References


Comments

Loading comments...
Retrieved from "https://beyondangkor.org/index.php?title=Yasodharapura_III&oldid=78433"