Indravarman I

Infobox Monarch
name =Indravarman I
title =King

Khmer Empire: 877 - 890
caption =
reign =
coronation =
othertitles =
full name =
predecessor =Jayavarman III
successor =Yasovarman I
suc-type =
heir =
queen =
consort =
spouse 1 =
spouse 2 =
spouse 3 =
spouse 4 =
spouse 5 =
spouse 6 =
issue =
royal house =
dynasty =
royal anthem =
father =
mother =
date of birth =
place of birth =
date of death =
place of death =
date of burial =
place of burial =|

Indravarman I was a king of Angkor who ruled from 877 to 890 during the glorious days of the ancient Khmer Empire.

Indravarman I ruled his kingdom from Hariharalaya, where it was established by Jayavarman II. His genealogy did not mention any relationship to Jayavarman II or III. Instead, he traced his legitimacy through a pair of pre-Angkorian kings whom we know nothing about. As a matter of fact, he himself was not even a prince but "a nephew of the queen of Jayavarman II." [Briggs, "The Ancient Khmer Empire" p. 97 ] His claim of legitimacy was dubious, therefore, his accession was challenged. He was a usurper and had to fight his way to the throne. One of his inscriptions states, "The right hand of this prince, long and powerful, was terrible in combat when his sword fell on his enemies, scattering them to all points of the compass. Invincible, he was appeased only by his enemies who turned their backs in surrender, or who placed themselves under his protection." [Higham, "The Civilization of Angkor" p. 60 ]

While Jayavarman II was credited for the founding of the Khmer Empire in AD 802, Indravarman I was credited for the building program at Angkor. He set the foundations for the future Angkorian kings to follow. The king's first act was to performed a public service for his subjects by building an irrigation network for the rice fields. The goal was usually achieved by constructing a large reservior to retain water during the Monsoon season and then released it during the dry season through a network of canals and channels. And in Hindu mythology the reservior also represents an ocean and the the temple-mountain represents Mount Meru, the home of the gods. The king and his Brahman advisors performed many rituals throughout the year to reinforce this belief. For example, the ritual of rain-making performed before the rice planting season, etc. Immediately, after Indravarman I acceded, he declared: "In five days I will begin to dig." [Chandler, "A History of Cambodia" p. 37] Dig he did with a reservior of an immense size: the Indratataka Baray was the biggest reservoir ever built before his time being 3.8 km long by 800 meters wide. However, later rulers managed to out-build him and made his reservior looked small. Now dry, it could have held about about 7.5 million cubic meters of water during the Monsoon season.

The king's second act was to build shrines and dedicated them to his god, ancestors, and parents, etc. At Hariharalaya, now called the Roluos group, Indravarman I built Preah Ko which he dedicated to his parents, wife, and the dynasty founder Jayavarman II.

The king's third act was to build a temple-mountain which he dedicated to himself and, after his death, it became his sarcophagus. Coedes identified thirteen Angkorian kings after Jayavarman II built such shrines for these dual purposes (state and funerary shrine). The shrines were built with stepped pyramid surrounded by lakes. In the center of the capital of Hariharalaya, Indravarman I built Bakong surrounded by double walled moats. The Bakong was his state shrine, therefore, it also housed the official Shiva's linga. Although his shrines are bigger than his predecessors, they are modest compared to the later shrines.

Indravarman I died in 890 and was succeeded by his son Yasovarman I.

Notes

References

*Briggs, Lawrence Palmer. "The Ancient Khmer Empire". Transactions of the American Philosophical Society 1951.
*Chandler, David. "A History of Cambodia". Westview Press 1996. Second Edition.
*Higham, Charles. "The Civilization of Angkor". University of California Press 2001.