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Yaśodharapura was the first capital of the Khmer empire to be built at the Angkor site. The city was built during the reign of King Yasovarman I (reigned 899-917 AD) after the palace in the previous capital at Roluos was burned during his struggle to consolidate power upon the death of the previous king, his father.
Succeeding capitals built in the area were also called Yasodharapura, which, when translated from the Sanskrit, conveys the meaning of "Holy City" or, by extension, "Capital City". The first Yasodharapura was built around Phnom Bakheng, also referred to in inscriptions as Phnom Kandal (Central Mountain), constructed just before the foundation of the city due to Yasovarman's belief that the mountain was among the holiest of places to worship the Hindu deities.
