Yaśodharapura

Yaśodharapura (Khmer: យសោធរបុរៈ) is a city that was the first capital of the Khmer Empire. It was destroyed in the 15th century by Siamese raiders.^[1]

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.

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