Chenla

Chenla
ចេនឡា (Khmer)
550–802
Map of mainland Southeast Asia (700 CE)
Map of mainland Southeast Asia (700 CE)
Capital
Common languages
Religion
GovernmentMandala kingdom
Historical eraPost-classical era
• Vassal of Funan
550
• Embassy to China
616/617
• Independence
627
• Separation into Land-Water
c. 707
• Jayavarman II proclaimed as chakravatin
802
CurrencyNative coins
Preceded by
Succeeded by
Funan
Khmer
Empire
Today part of

Chenla or Zhenla (Chinese: 真臘; pinyin: Zhēnlà; Wade–Giles: Chen-la; Khmer: ចេនឡា, romanizedChénla, Khmer pronunciation: [ceːnlaː]; Vietnamese: Chân Lạp) is the Chinese designation for the vessel of the kingdom of Funan [2]preceding the Khmer Empire that existed from around the late 6th to the early 9th century in Indochina. The name was still used in the 13th century by the Chinese envoy Zhou Daguan, author of The Customs of Cambodia.[3] It appears on the Mao Kun map. However, modern historiography applies the name exclusively to the period from the late 6th to the early 9th century.[3] This period of Cambodian history is known by historians as the Pre-Angkor period.[4] It is doubted whether Chenla ever existed as a unitary kingdom, or if this is a misconception by Chinese chroniclers. Most modern historians assert that "Chenla" was in fact just a series of loose and temporary confederations of principalities in the pre-Angkor period.[5][6]

  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference west was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ a b c Cite error: The named reference pelliot was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ a b Glover (2004), p. 100.
  4. ^ Glover (2004), p. 89.
  5. ^ Jacques (1979), p. 376.
  6. ^ Chandler (2018), p. 33.