The Khmer Empire, centered in modern-day Cambodia, encompassed much of Southeast Asia, including (modern-day) Vietnam, Thailand, Myanmar, and Laos. The official starting date given to the empire is in 802 CE when Jayavarman II, said to have come from Java, united the various warring Khmer kingdoms. With Jayavarman's proclamation of himself as the chakravartin, or "universal monarch," the Angkor period in Khmer history began.
The Angkor period was named for the capital city of the Khmer Empire, Angkor (derived from the Sanskrit word for "Holy City," nagara). During its peak, Angkor had been the largest pre-industrial city in the entire world, covering more than 400 square miles; "an area considerably larger than New York City's five boroughs." Angkor was a "hydraulic city;" having learned to control the torrential monsoon rains, it was possible for the Khmer to construct complex water transportation systems that brought fresh water to the people, as well as helping them to more easily irrigate their land. As a result, their agriculture thrived, and recent evidence shows that the city of Angkor alone supported up to one million people, .1% of the entire global population at the time.
Within the empire as a whole, the political structure was such that there was a clear hierarchy of settlements. Small villages, (a modern one pictured at left), would cluster around larger urban centers like Angkor. The villages would then sell agricultural products to and in these large commercial cities in return for goods like Chinese pottery or other more luxury items. It was this system, supported by the Khmer's impressive irrigation techniques that produced such a surplus of rice, that allowed huge cities such as Angkor to exist.
After the formation of the Khmer empire, the state adopted the Indian religion of Hinduism. The society's hierarchy reflected that of India's unique caste system, also based in Hindu ideology. The rulers of the Khmer elevated their status to that of living gods on Earth, or reincarnations of the popular gods Vishnu and Shiva. State-sponsored construction projects led to the creation of numerous, beautiful temples, like Angkor Wat, all in the unique Khmer style of architecture. Some scholars attribute the empire's adoption of Buddhism as the official state religion to being one of the defining factors of the Khmer Empire's decline, especially since the Hindu tradition was one of such great importance to the rulers in maintaining their power.
Jayavarman II was the uniting ruler of the Khmer empire, but Jayavarman VII (pictured left) was renowned as the greatest ruler of the empire. He acquired the throne in 1181 at the age of 61, and embarked upon ruling the empire, bringing it to the peak of its achievements. It was during his reign that the empire encompassed the largest amount of territory. Large-scale building projects of highways, rest houses, hospitals temples - like Angkor Thom - were supervised during Jayavarman VII's reign as well. But not only did Jayavarman construct Hindu temples, but Mahayana Buddhist temples as well, signaling the rise of Buddhism in the Khmer empire. The reputation of Jayavarman VII lives on as well, representing the cultural achievements of the now-Cambodian nation (though scholars seek to maintain a more impartial view, acknowledging the ways that Jayavarman VII's rule led to the eventual demise of the empire).
Even after the unification of the Khmer empire, various factors threatened to tear the empire apart. Individual nobles contested for power, rebelling against the kings and fighting for their independence as states. This became particularly prevalent during the politically tumultuous periods following the death of kings, as heirs and successions were widely disputed and challenged.
Increased maritime trade was yet another factor of the decline of the Khmer empire. As shown on the map at right, Angkor was still connected to these trade routes, but as the Khmer Empire's largest city, Angkor's inland position became increasingly disadvantageous. Trade occurred now on the more coastal cities, and especially with the Khmer's larger, more prosperous, and more well known neighbor of China. Also as shown, the Champa kingdom to the east, on a growing trade route, was gaining power, and on occasion, invaded and attacked the Khmer empire.
On top of various political factors were ecological factors that led to the Khmer demise. They had made great technological advancements in water storage to best utilize the heavy rainfall that occurred during monsoon seasons. But recent tree ring findings from Vietnam (left) show that in the time around the collapse of the empire, there had been unusual weather patterns; extensive periods of drought, followed by particularly heavy, albeit too brief, rainfall.
As no written documents were left by the Khmer explaining the collapse and demise of their empire, scholars use alternate evidences to help determine the causes of the fall of this once-mighty empire (pictured left). As mentioned above, internal power struggles contributed to turmoil. Not only internal threats, but also external ones, threatened the Khmer. In 1431, the city of Angkor fell to the Thai armies, marking the official end of the Khmer empire.
Sources
1. http://www.visitwonders.com/userfiles/image/C%20-%20histoire%20-%20jayavarmanII.jpg
2. http://www.farhorizons.com/trips/Asia/AngkorWat/images/AngkorWatatsunset.JPG
3. http://www.cambodiashuttle.com/userfiles/image/village%20kids%20Kam%20P%20REside.jpg
4. https://sathyasaimemories.files.wordpress.com/2014/01/6a01053695fa9d970b01538f1fcc66970b-500wi.jpg
5. http://cambodiasnapshots.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/Jayavarman-VII-Cambodia.jpg
6. https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/fe/Phra_Maha_Chedi_Chai_Mongkol_Naga_emerging_from_mouth_of_Makara.jpg
7. http://www.chiangmai1.com/chiang_mai/images_a_c/buddha_protected.jpg
8. https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/78/Southeast_Asia_trade_route_map_XIIcentury.jpg/706px-Southeast_Asia_trade_route_map_XIIcentury.jpg
9. http://gdb.voanews.com/3BA00971-50BC-48DD-8A61-E9277CBFE949_w640_r1_s.jpg
10. https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxgoko4nXnYjKMv8KtID7hq2LAWnuOiHiOggwyyzLXw_-xqI63T0voNG1NBenhY_wkYYvj1HMNv7qikdzmlihabU5nDs66LPUGGw1qpaGaB5xRMV0Ny6zFsbt3eR2vknZDO25egfygItcN/s1600/Khmer+empire+at+war+with+Thai.jpg
No comments:
Post a Comment