Jayavarman II

Jayavarman II
King of the Khmer Empire
Reign802 – 850
PredecessorHimself and Jyeṣṭhāryā
SuccessorJayavarman III
King of Lower Chenla (Water Chenla)
Reignc. AD 780–802[1]
PredecessorMahipativarman
SuccessorHimself as King of the Khmer Empire
King consort of Upper Chenla (Land Chenla)
Tenurec. 780s
Bornc. 770
Died850 (aged 79–80)
Angkor, Khmer Empire (now in Siem Reap, Cambodia)
SpouseHyang Amrita, Jayendrabhā
IssueJyeṣṭhāryā, Jayavarman III
ReligionHinduism
This article contains Khmer text. Without proper rendering support, you may see question marks, boxes, or other symbols instead of Khmer script.

Jayavarman II (Khmer: ជ័យវរ្ម័នទី២; c. 770 – 850, reigned c. 802–850)[2] was a Khmer prince who founded and became the ruler of the Khmer Empire (Cambodia) after unifying the Khmer civilization. The Khmer Empire was the dominant civilization in mainland Southeast Asia from the 9th century until the mid-15th century. Jayavarman II was a powerful Khmer king who declared independence from a polity inscriptions named "Java", which most probably refers to the island of Java in the Indonesian archipelago.[3] Jayavarman II founded many capitals such as Mahendraparvata, Indrapura, Amarendrapura, and Hariharalaya. Before Jayavarman II came to power, there was much fighting among local overlords who ruled different parts of Cambodia. The most well known opposition were the Shailendra Kings.[4] In 781, Jayavarman II took action by claiming independence on the land of Chenla.[5] By starting off with small weak kingdoms, he built himself up from there eventually leading to the Khmer Empire. No inscriptions by Jayavarman II have been found. Future kings of the Khmer Empire described him as a warrior and the most powerful king from that time frame that they could recall.[6] Historians formerly dated his reign as running from 802 AD to 835 AD.[7]

  1. ^ Sharan, Mahesh Kumar (2003). Studies In Sanskrit Inscriptions Of Ancient Cambodia. Abhinav Publications. pp. 32–34. ISBN 978-81-7017-006-8.
  2. ^ Jean Boisselier (1956). Trends in Khmer Art Volume 6 of Studies on Southeast Asia. Ithaca, N.Y. : Southeast Asia Program, Cornell University, 1989. p. 118. ISBN 0877277052.
  3. ^ Griffiths, Arlo (2013). "The Problem of the Ancient Name Java and the Role of Satyavarman in Southeast Asian International Relations around the Turn of the Ninth Century CE". Archipel. 85/1: 43–81. ISSN 0044-8613.
  4. ^ "The Rise of Angkor and the Khmer Empire". National Library of Australia. Retrieved 2024-04-24.
  5. ^ "Jayavarman II | Cambodian Ruler, Founder of Angkor | Britannica". www.britannica.com. 2024-03-15. Retrieved 2024-04-24.
  6. ^ Wolters, O. (1973). Jayavarman II's Military Power: The Territorial Foundation of the Angkor Empire. Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society of Great Britain and Ireland, (1), 21. Retrieved July 8, 2020, from www.jstor.org/stable/25203407
  7. ^ Charles Higham (2001). The Civilization of Angkor. University of California Press. p. 192-54. ISBN 9780520234420.