Yasovarman I

Yasovarman I
Wife Sister of Jayavarman IV
Issue Ishanavarman II
Harshavarman I
Father Indravarman I
Mother Queen Indradevi

Yasovarman I (Khmer: ព្រះបាទយសោវរ្ម័នទី១) was an Angkorian king who reigned in 889–910 CE. He was called "Leper King".[1]

Early years

Yasovarman was a son of King Indravarman I and his wife Indradevi.[2][3]

After the death of Indravarman, a succession war was fought by his two sons, Yasovarman and his brother. It is believed that the war was fought on land and on sea by the Tonlé Sap. In the end Yasovarman prevailed.

Because of his father had sought to deny his accession, according to inscriptions cited by L.P. Briggs, "Yasovarman I ignored his claim to the throne through his father, Indravarman I, or through Jayavarman II, the founder of Angkor dynasty, and built up an elaborate family tree, connecting himself through his mother with ancient kings of Funan and Chenla."[4]

An ancient relief from the temple of Phnom Bakheng, from Yasovarman’s reign

Yasovarman I’s achievements

During the first year of his reign, he built about 100 monasteries (ashrams) throughout his kingdom. Each ashram was used as a resting place for the ascetic and the king during his trips. In 893 he began to construct the Indratataka Baray (reservoir) that was started by his father. In the middle of this lake (now dry), he built the temple Lolei.[5] Simultaneously, he started to dig a huge reservoir at his new capital (described below). This new artificial lake, the Yashodharatataka or the East Baray, was eight times bigger than the previous one.

Yasovarman was one of the great Angkorian kings. His greatest achievement was to move the capital from Hariharalaya to Yashodharapura where it remained there for 500 years. It was at this new capital where all of the great and famous religious monuments were built, e.g. the Angkor Wat. There were many reasons for the move. The old capital was crowded with temples built by the previous kings. Thus, the decision was religious: In order for a new king to prosper, he must build his own temple and when he died it must become his mausoleum. Second, the new capital was closer to the Siem Reap River and is halfway between the Kulen hills and the Tonlé Sap. By moving the capital closer to the sources of water the king could reap many benefits provided by both rivers. He also constructed a road linking the old capital to the new one.

The Lolei, Phnom Bakheng, and the East Baray[6] are monuments to this ruler, all located near Cambodia's national treasure, a later construction, Angkor Wat. Phnom Bakheng was one of three hilltop temples created in the Khmer Empire’s Angkor capital region during Yasovarman’s reign, the other two being Phnom Krom and Phnom Bok.

Preceded by
Indravarman I		 Emperor of Angkor
889–910 		Succeeded by
Harshavarman I

Posthumous name

Yasovarman died in 910 and received the posthumous name of Paramashivaloka. He had leprosy.[7]

Family

Wife of Yasovarman was a sister of Jayavarman IV. She bore two sons to Yasovarman – Ishanavarman II and Harshavarman I.[8]

Notes

  1. ↑ Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos & the Greater Mekong by Nick Ray, Tim Bewer, Andrew Burke, Thomas Huhti, Siradeth Seng. Page 212. Footscray; Oakland; London: Lonely Planet Publications, 2007.
  2. ↑ Some Aspects of Asian History and Culture by Upendra Thakur. Page 37.
  3. ↑ Saveros, Pou (2002). Nouvelles inscriptions du Cambodge (in French). Tome II et III. Paris: EFEO. ISBN 2-85539-617-4.
  4. ↑ Briggs, The Ancient Khmer Empire; page 105.
  5. ↑ Jessup, p.77; Freeman and Jacques, pp.202 ff.
  6. ↑ Goloubev, Victor. Nouvelles récherches autour de Phnom Bakhen. Bulletin de l'EFEO (Paris), 34 (1934): 576-600.
  7. ↑ The Rough Guide to Cambodia by Beverley Palmer and Rough Guides.
  8. ↑ Briggs, Lawrence Palmer. The Ancient Khmer Empire. Transactions of the American Philosophical Society. 1951.

References