Capitals of Cambodia – part II | Angkor and post-Angkor period

Capitals of Cambodia, Part II

Part I of our capitals of Cambodia took us from the early Funan and Chenla periods up to the creation of King Indravarman’s city of Hariharalaya during the 9th century, at the site known today as Rolous, a short distance east of Siem Reap. We’ve already covered 6 different sites, with Hariharalaya appearing on two separate occasions, but Cambodia’s nomadic capital isn’t settled yet and there’s plenty more changes to come. Part II then takes us from the first incarnation of the capital Yasodharapura, in the area of the present-day Angkor Historical Park, through 19th century Oudong, or Phnom Oudong, up to modern Phnom Penh.

Angkor – Yasodharapura. Late 9th to early 10th centuries

Yasovarman I appears to have reigned for a relatively brief period – approximately 899 to 910 – although in terms of influence and prestige the king certainly punched well above his weight. After adding Prasat Lolei to his hometown of Hariharalaya, Yasovarman felt compelled for reasons unclear, to commission an entire new capital city some 15 kilometres to the west of Rolous.

His new city, named Yasodharapura, was centered around his new royal temple, Prasat Bakheng, constructed on the artificially flattened summit of the eponymous hill, Phnom Bakheng. The reasons for this relocation are unknown although firstly and significantly, Rolous is much closer to the Tonle Sap Lake and we’d be surprised if the area didn’t suffer seasonal flooding issues as it still does today. Secondly there was a tendency by certain rulers to impose themselves on acceding to the throne by commissioning a purpose built set of city, temple and reservoir regardless. A less prosaic reason may have been the new ruler’s apparent penchant for hills. There are only three significant hills in the Angkor region, Phnom Bakheng, Phnom Bok and Phnom Kraom – all of which feature sanctuaries constructed during Yasovarman’s reign. If one of the principal intentions behind stepped, pyramid-style temples such as Bakong, Ak Yum, Rong Cheng etcetera was to represent the home of the gods, Mount Meru, then placing a temple atop a hill presumably provided a major advantage in getting closer to them.

With one notable exception, the capitals of Cambodia were to remain in this general vicinity for the next five or so centuries. Focal points – and royal temples – such as Phimeanakas, Prei Rup, Ta Keo, Baphuon and of course Bayon did vary slightly – a bit to the east, a short distance to the north and so-on – although significantly the name Yasodharapura remained in use for much of this timeframe. The aforementioned notable exception to Angkor-period capitals of Cambodia is Koh Ker.

Koh Ker – Lingapura/Chok Gargyar. c. 928 – 941

This sprawling, and since 2023, UNESCO World Heritage Listed, site lies in dense forest some 120 kilometres northeast of Siem Reap. Known at the time as Lingapura or City of Lingas, Koh Ker functioned as the imperial capital during the early 10th century reign of Jayavarman IV. Khmer history gets rather murky at this point and while the king was subsequently much-maligned, and indeed described as an illegitimate usurper, it’s doubtful that his claim to the throne was any less tenuous than plenty of other Angkorian rulers. He does seem to have had some difficulties imposing himself upon rivals and motivations for a move to the site of Koh Ker may well have been security related. It would appear that, along with his family and followers, Jayavarman IV originated from that region and thus Lingapura was his hometown and power base.

Regardless of what was happening at Yasodharapura, the king cleared didn’t lack funds or supporters and he successfully commissioned an impressive array of temples at the site along with a major reservoir, the Rahal. While the settlement remained an important regional centre in subsequent times it didn’t last long as the capital and after Jayavarman IV’s death in 944 his successor Rajendravarman II wasted no time in moving the court back to Angkor.

Angkor – Yasodharapura II. Mid 10th – 14th century

It’s conceivable that early 10th century strife had damaged the imperial capital and the focus of subsequent rulers Rajendravarman and Jayavarman V shifted slightly northeast from Phnom Bakheng, with the construction of the respective royal temples Prei Rup and Ta Keo in the vicinity of Yasovarman’s huge reservoir, the East Baray.

Following the brief Koh Ker interlude, the capital, in various guises, was to remain at Angkor for the next 500 years. Prestigious kings such as Suryavarman I added picturesque Phimeanakas, Udayadityavarman Baphuon and the Western Baray and Suryavarman II Angkor Wat itself although the final incarnation of Yasodharapura we see today – Angkor Thom – with the walls, moat, impressive entrance gates and royal temple of Bayon all date to the late 12th century and Jayavarman VII. After is reign major temple building ceased and the general layout and principal features of Angkor Thom were to remain largely unchanged until it’s abandonment in the first part of the 15th century.

It’s a common misconception that the entire site was abandoned and certain elements, notably Angkor Wat itself, were continually maintained to some extent, but for various reasons the capital and court moved some 300 kilometres southeast to the vicinity of present day Phnom Penh. Numerous reasons have been put forward for the change – no single one conclusively – and the answer is undoubtedly a combination of several factors. An entire book could be written on the subject but suffice to say for now that it was likely to have been a combination of ecological/environmental and military/political motivations.

Phnom Penh – Chaktomuk. c. 1434 – 1529

With the decline of Angkor and rise of the Ayutthaya Kingdom from the 13th century onwards moving the Khmer capital geographically further away from Siam was a sensible precaution. Phnom Penh with its central location, 4 rivers and surrounding, fertile rice growing areas was a logical choice and indeed vestiges of an 11th century sanctuary in the grounds of Wat Ounalom indicate that the site of Phnom Penh had already existed as a settlement of some form for a long time.

Longvek. c. 1529 – 1594

Around 1529 Ang Chan I took the throne of Cambodia after defeating the usurper Sdach Korn and proceeded to establish his new capital some 45 kilometres upstream on the left bank of the Tonle Sap at a site known today as Longvek. Once again vestiges suggest that the site had been previously occupied but Ang Chan commissioned a substantial-sized, walled fortress which was also home to Portuguese and Spanish missionaries and merchants as well as the royal court.

Unfortunately said walls weren’t high enough and the city was sacked by King Naresuan of Ayutthaya in 1593 or 94. This was too prove the final straw for the once mighty Khmer Empire and despite moving the court to another new site – this time at the foot of nearby Phnom Oudong – for the 18th and much of the 19th centuries Cambodia was relegated to the status of a pawn in struggles between its two more powerful neighbours Siam and Vietnam.

Oudong – c. 1618 to 1866

Bit swampy for much of the year but an otherwise picturesque and strategic location with Phnom Oudong marking its western limit and the Tonle Sap River a short distance to the east. The former capital Longvek was slightly upstream while the site of Phnom Penh lies some 35 kilometres downstream.

Phnom Penh II – c. mid 19th century to present day

Strictly speaking Cambodia was a protectorate of France rather than colony and was to form a part of French Indochine along with Laos and the 3 Vietnamese divisions Tonkin, Annam and Cochin-china. While the quantative differences between colony and protectorate are debatable, one major factor the Khmers have to thank the French for was booting out the Vietnamese and Siamese and reconstituting the kingdom’s borders along the lines seen today. (Although Battambang and Siem Reap provinces remained under Bangkok’s control until the early 20th century.) They also saw fit – again for reasons not fully clear – to move the capital back to Phnom Penh. (Despite being situated at the confluence of the Mekong, Tonle Sap and Bassac Rivers the site was possibly less prone to flooding as much of Oudong lies under water during the monsoon season.) The principal municipal structures, post office, central bank, gendarmerie etc being grouped between Wat Phnom and the Tonle Sap River in what today forms the French Quarter. The colonists’ footprint was however relatively small and the city lacked the impressive period buildings of Hanoi and Saigon.

Today Phnom Penh is a bustling and rapidly expanding city of over 2 million with the suburbs reaching north along the Tonle Sap and south along the Bassac and stretching across wide swathes of surrounding Kandal Province. Unless at some stage in the future the authorities decide it’s too hectic and bustling and opt for a new purpose-built capital along the lines of Brasilia, Canberra or Myanmar’s Nyapidaw then this is the last stop for the nomadic capitals of Cambodia.