Ponhea Yat

Ponhea Yat
Barom Reachea II
King of the Khmer Empire
Reign1421–1431[citation needed]
PredecessorPonhea Prek
SuccessorHimself, as King of Cambodia
King of Cambodia
Reign1431–1463
PredecessorHimself, as King of the Khmer Empire
SuccessorNoreay Reachea
Bornc. 1390
Yasodharapura, Khmer Empire (now in Siem Reap, Cambodia)
Died1463 (aged 72–73)
Krong Chaktomuk, Cambodia
Burial
SpouseSri Sraniem
Tevi
Kesar
IssueNoreay Reachea
Srey Reachea
Thommo Reachea
FatherSri Soryovong
ReligionBuddhism

Ponhea Yat (Khmer: ពញាយ៉ាត, UNGEGN: Pônhéa Yat, ALA-LC: Bañā Y″āt [ˌpɔɲiəˈjaːt]; c. 1390 – 1463),[1] also known as Borom Reachea II (Khmer: បរមរាជាទី២, UNGEGN: Bârômôréachéa ti 2, ALA-LC: Paramarājā dī 2 [ˌɓɑrɔmriəˈciə tiː piː]), was the last king of the Khmer Empire and the first Khmer king of the post-Angkor period.

Ponhea Yat complained to the Yongle Emperor in 1408 and 1414 of raids by the Champa King Indravarman VI.[2]: 114, 218  He dispatched Kun Si-li Ren-nong-la to visit China.[3]

He was forced to flee Yasodharapura in 1431 as it was indefensible against attack by the Siamese, resettling first in Basan (Srey Santhor), but after it became flooded, fled to Chaktomuk (now part of Phnom Penh).[4]: 236–237 

In Phnom Penh, the king ordered the land to be built up to protect it from flooding, and a palace to be built. During his reign he also ordered the construction of six Buddhist monasteries around the city, and his remains are housed in a stupa behind the Wat Phnom.

King Ponhea Yat was succeeded on his death by his first son Noreay Reachea, who reigned until 1469 and who was succeeded in turn by Ponhea Yat's second son, Srey Reachea.

Stupa of Ponhea Yat at Wat Phnom.
  1. ^ Chun, Chanboth (29 July 2014). "ប្រវត្តិព្រះបាទព្ញាយ៉ាតរំដោះក្រុងអង្គរពីសៀម". Radio Free Asia. Retrieved 3 June 2020.
  2. ^ Maspero, G., 2002, The Champa Kingdom, Bangkok: White Lotus Co., Ltd., ISBN 9747534991
  3. ^ "Entry - Southeast Asia in the Ming Shi-lu". epress.nus.edu.sg. Archived from the original on 2007-05-21.
  4. ^ Coedès, George (1968). Walter F. Vella (ed.). The Indianized States of Southeast Asia. trans.Susan Brown Cowing. University of Hawaii Press. ISBN 978-0-8248-0368-1.