Jayavarman V ( km, ជ័យវរ្ម័នទី៥) was a ruler of the
Khmer Empire from his state temple, Jayendranagari, at Jayendrapura.
[
During his reign, the Khmer Empire had 20 cities or ]pura
Pura may refer to:
Places
* Pura, Kushtagi, a village in Koppal district, Karnataka, India
* Pura, Iran, a village in Mazandaran Province, Iran
* Pura, Tarlac, a municipality in the Philippines
* Pura, Switzerland, a municipality in Ticino, S ...
.
Early years
Jayavarman V succeeded his father, Rajendravarman
Rajendravarman II ( km, រាជេន្ទ្រវរ្ម័នទី២) was the king of the Khmer Empire (region of Angkor in Cambodia), from 944 to 968 AD.
Rajendravarman II was the uncle and first cousin of Harshavarman. His principal m ...
, when he was only ten years old.[Higham, C., 2014, Early Mainland Southeast Asia, Bangkok: River Books Co., Ltd., ] During his early years, the court officials dominated the royal politics. He studied under a very knowledgeable teacher Yajnavaraha, a grandson of King Harshavarman I
Harshavarman I ( km, ហស៌វរ្ម័នទី១; or Rudraloka, died in 923) was an Angkorian king who reigned in 910–923 CE. He is mentioned by David P. Chandler, who is one of the foremost western scholars of Cambodia's modern histo ...
. Yajnavaraha was a distinguished scholar as he was "first in the knowledge of the doctrines of the Buddha, medicine and astronomy," [Briggs, ''The Ancient Khmer Empire''p. 134] and in 967 Yajnavaraha constructed Banteay Srei
Banteay Srei or Banteay Srey ( km, បន្ទាយស្រី ) is a 10th-century Cambodian temple dedicated to the Hindu god Shiva. Located in the area of Angkor, it lies near the hill of Phnom Dei, north-east of the main group of temples ...
, considered the jewel of Khmer art for its very beautiful display of bas-reliefs. When Jayavarman turned seventeen years old, he began the construction of his own state shrine, Ta Keo
Ta Keo ( km, ប្រាសាទតាកែវ, ) is a temple-mountain in Angkor (Cambodia), possibly the first to be built entirely of sandstone by the Khmer Empire.
The site
Ta Keo was the state temple of Jayavarman V, son of Rajendra ...
. However, an unfortunate event occurred as the edifice was hit by a thunder bolt during its construction. This was taken as an evil omen and the priests of the court performed a ritual to dispel the demons; afterward, stones and elephants were brought in to finish the job, but without success. The construction was left unfinished.[Higham, C., 2001, The Civilization of Angkor, London: Weidenfeld & Nicolson, ]
Ruling elites
The aristocratic families dominated Jayavarman V's court. Briggs write, "There is probably no reign in the history of ancient Khmers in which more distinguished ministers, scholars, and dignitaries are mentioned in the inscriptions."[Briggs, ''The Ancient Khmer Empire'' p. 135] Atmashiva, who served under the two previous kings, was his ''purohita'', chaplain. And Narayana, who had also served under King Rajendravarman
Rajendravarman II ( km, រាជេន្ទ្រវរ្ម័នទី២) was the king of the Khmer Empire (region of Angkor in Cambodia), from 944 to 968 AD.
Rajendravarman II was the uncle and first cousin of Harshavarman. His principal m ...
, was his ''hotar'', high priest. However, the most influential and powerful ruling family of all was the house of Saptadevakula who dominated most of the royal affairs. This clan also helped King Suryavarman I
Suryavarman I ( km, សូរ្យវរ្ម័នទី១; posthumously ''Nirvanapada'') was king of the Khmer Empire from 1006 to 1050. Suryavarman usurped King Udayadityavarman I, defeating his armies in approximately 1002. After a protra ...
come to power in 1002.
Rise of Mahayana Buddhism and women power
Even though Jayavarman V was a Shaivite
Shaivism (; sa, शैवसम्प्रदायः, Śaivasampradāyaḥ) is one of the major Hindu traditions, which worships Shiva as the Supreme Being. One of the largest Hindu denominations, it incorporates many sub-traditions rangin ...
, he was very tolerant of Buddhism
Buddhism ( , ), also known as Buddha Dharma and Dharmavinaya (), is an Indian religions, Indian religion or Indian philosophy#Buddhist philosophy, philosophical tradition based on Pre-sectarian Buddhism, teachings attributed to the Buddha. ...
. And under his reign Buddhism flourished. Kirtipandita, his Buddhist minister, brought ancient texts from foreign lands to Cambodia, though none survived. He even suggested that priests used Buddhist prayers as well as Hindu during a ritual.
Buddha teaches tolerance toward all beings, and the rise of Buddhism during Jayavarman V's reign also ushered women in many high positions. Jahavi, younger sister of Yajnavaraha, helped raise money for the construction of Banteay Srei as this temple was not funded by the king. Prana of the Saptadevakula family was the king's trusted advisor. "Chinese writers praise the women of Cambodia for their knowledge of astrology and government and say the women of the royal family sometimes held high political posts, including that of judge."
His sister, Indralakshmi, married the Indian Brahman Divakarabhatta.[
]
Posthumous name
Jayavarman V's reign lasted for about 30 years and his kingdom was peaceful and prosperous. He died in 1001 and received the posthumous name of Paramaviraloka.
Notes
References
*Briggs, Lawrence Palmer. ''The Ancient Khmer Empire''. Transactions of the American Philosophical Society 1951.
*Higham, Charles. ''The Civilization of Angkor''. University of California Press 2001.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Jayavarman 05
Khmer Empire
958 births
1001 deaths
10th-century Cambodian monarchs
11th-century Cambodian monarchs