Phimeanakas, Angkor Thom, Camboya, 2013-08-16, DD 09

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 br ...

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 Tamil thalassocratic 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 to the 3rd century BC ...

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 against the Tambralinga 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

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 7t ...

Empire and the Tambralinga 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. It was established in the late twe ...

, 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. 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 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 b ...

, 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 twelfth longest river and the third longest in Asia. Its estimated length is , and it drains an area of , discharging of water annual ...

basin. Suryavarman probably started construction at Preah Khan Kompong Svay 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, and Phnom Chisor.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 and Ta Keo. Suryavarman also started the second Angkor reservoir, the West Baray, 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 Tamil ...

, the Chola Emperor, possibly to facilitate trade. During his reign, 47 cities (known as 47 pura) 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 (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 territ ...

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".

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

Biography

In popular culture

See also

Notes

External links