Suryavarman I ( km, សូរ្យវរ្ម័នទី១; posthumously ''Nirvanapada'') was king of the
Khmer Empire from 1006 to 1050.
Suryavarman usurped King
Udayadityavarman I
Udayadityavarman I was the king of Angkor who reigned from 1001 to 1002 AD.
Maternal nephew of his predecessor Jayavarman V (968 – 1001), he reigned only for a few months. His death triggered a nine-year civil war. His successor in Yaśodharapu ...
, defeating his armies in approximately 1002. After a protracted war with Udayadityavarman's would-be successor,
Jayavirahvarman, Suryavarman I claimed the throne in 1010. Suryavarman was a
Mahayana
''Mahāyāna'' (; "Great Vehicle") is a term for a broad group of Buddhist traditions, texts, philosophies, and practices. Mahāyāna Buddhism developed in India (c. 1st century BCE onwards) and is considered one of the three main existing bra ...
Buddhist
Buddhism ( , ), also known as Buddha Dharma and Dharmavinaya (), is an Indian religion or philosophical tradition based on teachings attributed to the Buddha. It originated in northern India as a -movement in the 5th century BCE, and ...
[ who was also tolerant of the growing ]Theravada
''Theravāda'' () ( si, ථේරවාදය, my, ထေရဝါဒ, th, เถรวาท, km, ថេរវាទ, lo, ເຖຣະວາດ, pi, , ) is the most commonly accepted name of Buddhism's oldest existing school. The school' ...
Buddhist presence in the Khmer kingdom.
Biography
Suryavarman I established diplomatic relations with the Chola dynasty
The Chola dynasty was a Tamils, Tamil thalassocratic Tamil Dynasties, empire of southern India and one of the longest-ruling dynasties in the history of the world. The earliest datable references to the Chola are from inscriptions dated ...
of south India (Tamilnadu) around 1012.[ Suryavarman I sent a chariot as a present to the Chola Emperor ]Rajaraja Chola I
Rajaraja I (947 CE – 1014 CE), born Arunmozhi Varman or Arulmozhi Varman and often described as Raja Raja the Great or Raja Raja Chozhan was a Chola emperor who reigned from 985 CE to 1014 CE. He was the most powerful Tamil king in South ...
. It seems that the Khmer king Suryavarman I requested aid from the powerful Chola Emperor Rajendra Chola
Rajendra Chola I (; Middle Tamil: Rājēntira Cōḻaṉ; Classical Sanskrit: Rājēndradēva Cōla; Old Malay: ''Raja Suran''; c. 971 CE – 1044 CE), often referred to as Rajendra the Great, and also known as Gangaikonda Chola (Middle Tamil ...
against the Tambralinga
Tambralinga ( sa, Tāmbraliṅga) was an Indianised kingdom located on the Malay Peninsula, existing at least from the 10th to 13th century. It was under the influence of Srivijaya for some time, but later became independent from it. The name ha ...
kingdom.[Kenneth R. Hall (October 1975), "Khmer Commercial Development and Foreign Contacts under Sūryavarman I", Journal of the Economic and Social History of the Orient 18 (3), pp. 318-336, Brill Publishers] After learning of Suryavarman's alliance with Rajendra Chola, the Tambralinga kingdom requested aid from the Srivijaya king Sangrama Vijayatungavarman. That eventually led to the Chola Empire coming into conflict with the Srivijiya Empire. The war ended with a victory for the Chola dynasty
The Chola dynasty was a Tamils, Tamil thalassocratic Tamil Dynasties, empire of southern India and one of the longest-ruling dynasties in the history of the world. The earliest datable references to the Chola are from inscriptions dated ...
and the Khmer Empire, major losses for the Sri Vijaya
Srivijaya ( id, Sriwijaya) was a Buddhist thalassocratic empire based on the island of Sumatra (in modern-day Indonesia), which influenced much of Southeast Asia. Srivijaya was an important centre for the expansion of Buddhism from the 7th t ...
Empire and the Tambralinga
Tambralinga ( sa, Tāmbraliṅga) was an Indianised kingdom located on the Malay Peninsula, existing at least from the 10th to 13th century. It was under the influence of Srivijaya for some time, but later became independent from it. The name ha ...
kingdom.
His reign lasted some 40 years, and he spent much of that time defending it. Known as the "King of the Just Laws," he consolidated his political power by inviting some 4000 local officials to the royal palace and swear an oath of allegiance to him. Suryavarman favored Buddhism but allowed the people to continue practising Hinduism
Hinduism () is an Indian religion or '' dharma'', a religious and universal order or way of life by which followers abide. As a religion, it is the world's third-largest, with over 1.2–1.35 billion followers, or 15–16% of the global p ...
. His palace was situated in the vicinity of Angkor Thom
Angkor Thom ( km, អង្គរធំ ; meaning "Great City"), alternatively Nokor Thom ( km, នគរធំ ) located in present-day Cambodia, was the last and most enduring capital city of the Khmer empire, Khmer Empire. It was established in ...
, and he was the first Khmer ruler to protect his palace with a wall.
In the inscription at Tuol Ta Pec, Suryavarman is said to have known of the principles of the six Vedangas
The Vedanga ( sa, वेदाङ्ग ', "limbs of the Veda") are six auxiliary disciplines of Hinduism that developed in ancient times and have been connected with the study of the Vedas:James Lochtefeld (2002), "Vedanga" in The Illustrated Enc ...
.
Suryavarman expanded his territory to the west to Lopburi
Lopburi ( th, ลพบุรี, , ) is the capital city of Lopburi Province in Thailand. It is about northeast of Bangkok. It has a population of 58,000. The town (''thesaban mueang'') covers the whole ''tambon'' Tha Hin and parts of Th ...
, including the Menam
The Chao Phraya ( or ; th, แม่น้ำเจ้าพระยา, , or ) is the major river in Thailand, with its low alluvial plain forming the centre of the country. It flows through Bangkok and then into the Gulf of Thailand.
Et ...
basin in Thailand
Thailand ( ), historically known as Siam () and officially the Kingdom of Thailand, is a country in Southeast Asia, located at the centre of the Indochinese Peninsula, spanning , with a population of almost 70 million. The country is bo ...
, and east into the Mekong
The Mekong or Mekong River is a trans-boundary river in East Asia and Southeast Asia. It is the world's List of rivers by length, twelfth longest river and List of longest rivers of Asia, the third longest in Asia. Its estimated length is , ...
basin.[
Suryavarman probably started construction at ]Preah Khan Kompong Svay The archeological complex of Preah Khan of Kampong Svay ( km, ព្រះខ័ននៅកំពង់ស្វាយ) or Prasat Bakan (according to local pronunciation) or ''Bakan Svay Rolay'' is located 100 km east of Angkor, in Preah Vihea ...
and expanded 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 ...
, Wat Ek Phnom
Wat Ek Phnom is an Angkorian temple located on the left side of the Sangkae River at the small creek of Prek Daun Taev northwest the Peam Aek spot approximately 9 km north of the city of Battambang in north western Cambodia. It is a Hindu t ...
, and Phnom Chisor
Phnom Chisor ( km, ភ្នំជីសូរ, ; "Chisor Mountain") is a 133-metres high mountain in Dok Por village, Rovieng commune, Samraŏng District, Takéo Province, Cambodia. It lies about 42 km south of Phnom Penh. The Ministry of ...
.[Higham, C., 2001, The Civilization of Angkor, London: Weidenfeld & Nicolson, ] The major constructions by the king were the Prasat Preah Vihear
Preah Vihear Temple ( Khmer: ប្រាសាទព្រះវិហារ ''Prasat Preah Vihear'') is an ancient Khmer temple built during the period of the Khmer Empire, that is situated on the top of a cliff in the Dângrêk Mountains, i ...
, on Dangrek Mountain, and completion of the Phimeanakas
Phimeanakas ( km, ប្រាសាទភិមានអាកាស, ''Prasat Phimean Akas'', 'celestial temple') or Vimeanakas ( km, ប្រាសាទវិមានអាកាស, ''Prasat Vimean Akas'') at Angkor, Cambodia, is a Hindu ...
and 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 Rajendrava ...
.[ Suryavarman also started the second Angkor reservoir, the ]West Baray
The West Baray ( km, បារាយណ៍ខាងលិច, UNGEGN: , ALA-LC: ) or Baray Teuk Thla ( km, បារាយណ៍ទឹកថ្លា, UNGEGN: , ALA-LC: ; "Clear Water Reservoir") is a baray, or reservoir, at Angkor, Cambodia, ...
, which is 8 km long and 2.1 km wide.[Higham, C., 2014, Early Mainland Southeast Asia, Bangkok: River Books Co., Ltd., ] It held more than 123 million liters of water. That is the largest Khmer reservoir to survive. There is some indication that Suryavarman sent a gift to Rajendra Chola I
Rajendra Chola I (; Middle Tamil: Rājēntira Cōḻaṉ; Classical Sanskrit: Rājēndradēva Cōla; Old Malay: ''Raja Suran''; c. 971 CE – 1044 CE), often referred to as Rajendra the Great, and also known as Gangaikonda Chola (Middle Tami ...
, the Chola Emperor, possibly to facilitate trade.
During his reign, 47 cities (known as 47 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, Swit ...
) were under the control of Khmer Empire.[Hall, K. R. (2019). Maritime Trade and State Development in Early Southeast Asia. United States: University of Hawaii Press.]
Suryavarman died in 1050 and was given the posthumous title ''Nirvanapada'' ("the king who has gone to nirvana"), a nod to his Buddhist beliefs. He was succeeded by his sons, Udayadityavarman II
Udayadityavarman II ( km, ឧទ័យាទិត្យវរ្ម័នទី២) ruled the Angkor Kingdom from 1050 to 1066 A.D. He was the successor of Suryavarman I but not his son; he descended from Yasovarman I's spouse.
He built the B ...
, who died around 1066, and Harshavarman III
Harshavarman III ( km, ហស៌វរ្ម័នទី៣) was a king of Khmer who ruled from 1066 to about 1080 AD. He succeeded his elder brother Udayadityavarman IIHigham, C., 2014, Early Mainland Southeast Asia, Bangkok: River Books Co., Lt ...
(Sadasivapada), who continued the struggle against internal rebellions and fought off assaults from the Chams
The Cham (Cham: ''Čaṃ'') or Champa people (Cham: , ''Urang Campa''; vi, Người Chăm or ; km, ជនជាតិចាម, ) are an Austronesian ethnic group. From the 2nd century to 1832 the Cham populated Champa, a contiguous territo ...
until his death in 1080.
In popular culture
The video game '' Age of Empires II HD: Rise of the Rajas'' contains a five-chapter campaign titled "Suryavarman I".
See also
*Khleangs
The Khleangs are two buildings of unknown purpose on the east side of the Royal Square in Angkor Thom, Cambodia, located just behind the twelve towers of Prasat Suor Prat and separated by the royal route that leads from the Angkor Thom Royal Pal ...
*Buddhism in Cambodia
Buddhism in Cambodia or Khmer Buddhism ( km, ព្រះពុទ្ធសាសនានៅកម្ពុជា) has existed since at least the 5th century. In its earliest form it was a type of Mahāyāna Buddhism. Today, the predominant fo ...
Notes
External links
* http://www.art-and-archaeology.com/seasia/angkorkings.html
* https://web.archive.org/web/20050424190544/http://khmerprideproductions.com/chapter4.html
* https://web.archive.org/web/20060825205327/http://www.indochinaexclusive.com/srkbalspean.jpg
{{DEFAULTSORT:Suryavarman 01
11th-century Cambodian monarchs
Cambodian Buddhist monarchs
Mahayana Buddhists
Cambodian Buddhists
1050 deaths
Year of birth unknown