Bhadravarman or Phạm Hồ Đạt (,
Middle Chinese: ''buam’-ɣɔ-dɑt,''
Sanskrit ''Bhadravarman'', literally "Blessed armour" but also meaning the ''
Jasminum sambac'' flower), was the king of
Champa
Champa (Cham: ꨌꩌꨛꨩ; km, ចាម្ប៉ា; vi, Chiêm Thành or ) were a collection of independent Cham polities that extended across the coast of what is contemporary central and southern Vietnam from approximately the 2nd cen ...
from 380 to 413. In 380, Bhadravarman, the son or grandson of Fan Fo,
[Higham, C., 2014, Early Mainland Southeast Asia, Bangkok: River Books Co., Ltd., ] took the throne with the regal name Dharmamahārāja Śrī Bhadravarman I, "Great King of the Law Bhadravarman".
[Maspero, G., 2002, The Champa Kingdom, Bangkok: White Lotus Co., Ltd., ]
He is the first Champa king to have ''varman'' suffixed to his name. The use of the honorific title ''varman'', very common amongst the
Pallava dynasty kings, was borrowed by the kings of Cambodia. Also the same year, the King moved the capital to
Simhapura in
Quảng Nam Province. He built temples and palaces, all facing north, at
Mỹ Sơn and
Trà Kiệu
Trà Kiệu is a village in Duy Sơn commune, Duy Xuyên district, Quảng Nam province, Vietnam.
Geography
Trà Kiệu is located in the Thu Bồn river valley inland from Hội An, which has since moved putting the site on the southern bank ...
.
Significantly, Bhadravarman was a renowned scholar, well-versed in all four
Vedas and the author of several inscriptions in Sanskrit. He invited learned Brahmins from India to settle in his kingdom.
In 399, Bhadravarman went on a military campaign up north and succeeded in capturing the
Vietnamese provinces of
Rinan
Rinan (; vi, Nhật Nam), also rendered as Jih-nan, was the southernmost commandery of the Chinese Han dynasty. It was located in the central area of modern-day Vietnam between Quảng Bình and Bình Định provinces. It was administered by ...
and
Jiuzhen ( vi, Cửu Chân). He continued on his temple-building campaign as well, building Cham towers along the coast up north. From 405 to 413, he continuously battled the Chinese governor
Du Xue. However, at their last confrontation, Bhadravarman disappeared without a trace after he was defeated by the governor.
Two of his sons, Chen Chen and Na Neng were killed in 413, while another son, Ti Kai, fled with his mother. Bhadravarman's son, Ti Chen, Gangaraja, abdicated the throne and left for India. The kingdom then transitioned into civil war.
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References
Cham rulers
4th-century monarchs in Asia
5th-century monarchs in Asia
5th-century Vietnamese people
4th-century Vietnamese people
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