Palma's Place

Historical Background of Angkor

Mon-Khmer peoples had been exposed to Indian cultural and religious traditions at least since early in the first millennium as the area became a key stop in growing trade between India and China after trade along the land Silk Road had become interrupted by nomadic tribes in central Asia . The Khmer occupied modern Cambodia and their territory extended to the South China Sea at the Mekong delta. The first Khmer kingdom, Funan (3^rd to 7^th centuries AD), was founded by a king or Brahmin from south India and a Khmer princess and occupied this region. The internal structure of Funan was challenged by various competing internal forces. Eventually political strife and civil war saw the weakening of Funan and the center of Khmer power shift to central Cambodia .

In the second half of the 6^th century, a new state rose and assumed control of much of Cambodia , Zhenla (Chen-La). Zhenla was first based in southern Laos and Cambodia and eventually controlled the Mekong river valley up to southern China , the mountains west of Vietnam and eastern Thailand . By the 8^th century Zhenla split in two, Upper Zhenla controlled the northern half of Cambodia and Laos while Lower Zhenla controlled south eastern Cambodia and the former area of Funan.

From the 4^th through 8^th centuries, competition for control over the burgeoning trade between China and India developed as various powers moved into the area and gained power.

	Champa was established in the 2nd century in central and south Vietnam . Champa was a maritime power that was indianised in the 5^th century and adopted Hinduism. When Funan weakened and Khmer power shifted westward, Champa moved south and continued to challenge the Khmer until they were conquered by the Vietnamese in the late 1400s.
	Tai peoples started moving into the area of northern Laos and what is now Thailand from Yunan in southern China and northwestern Vietnam around Dien Bien Phu during the late 8^th century.
	On Sumatra, the west coast of Java , Malaysia , and southern Thailand , Srivijaya gained importance in the 5^th century as the straits of Malacca became a maritime route between India and China .
	In central and then eastern Java, The Sailendras dynasty, possibly descended from Funan and/or Cham refugees, rose to power in the 8^th century.
	The Mon in Burma and Thailand also started to gather power in the 8^th century.

In the later half of the 8^th century, competition in the area came to a head and the Sailendras dynasty in central Java challenged the Cambodians for control of trade in the South China Sea . They invaded Cambodia , turning the country into a vassal state. Among the prisoners they took back to Java was Jayavarman II, a Khmer prince. Jayavarman II returned to Cambodia by the 790s and started to gather power and unite the Khmer peoples and established a capital at Indrapura in south eastern Cambodia . He eventually moved his capital west to several sites around Angkor, first to Hariharalaya (Roluos- 10-15km south east of Angkor), then to Mount Mahendraparvata (Phnom Kulen, 40km north east of Angkor ), then back to Hariharalaya. While at Mount Mahendraparvata , he proclaimed himself the king of the Khmer and ended the vassal relationship with Sailendras in 802, marking the start of the Angkor period, which lasted until the 15^th century when the Khmer fled Angkor and established their capital eventually at Phnom Penh .

The tradition of Khmer kings building temples to honor their ancestors and establish their authority was begun by Indravarman I who ruled from 877-889. His son, Yasovarman I, moved the capital to Yasodharapura ( Angkor ) during his reign from 889 to 900. Angkor would be the capital until the Thai finally force the Khmer to flee east. The Khmer would eventually gain control of a large swath of territory extending from northern Malaysia , most of Thailand , parts of Burma , most of Laos , and at times southern and central Vietnam (Champa).

Though abandoned as a capital by the Khmer in the 15^th century due to its vulnerability to the more powerful Thais, Angkor was still occupied and at times the royal family moved back to Angkor for brief periods and visits. Khmer priests continued to occupy some of the temples. Europeans first started to visit Angkor in the early 16^th century. Portuguese refugees from Malacca and Sumatra were the first to visit Angkor after seeking asylum in Cambodia after the Dutch seized their colonies. Spanish traders also set up business in Cambodia in the 16^th century. Spanish and Portuguese missionaries also moved into Cambodia and hoped the Angkor ruins could be turned into a Christian center. English and Dutch traders arrived in Cambodia during the 17^th century and also found their way to Angkor . A Japanese translator working probably for the Dutch drew the oldest existing map of Angkor Wat in the 1630s.