Hariharalaya () was an ancient city and capital of the
Khmer empire located near
Siem Reap,
Cambodia in an area now called
Roluos. Today, all that remains of the city are the ruins of several royal temples:
Preah Ko, the
Bakong,
Lolei.
Etymology
The name "Hariharalaya" is derived from the name of
Harihara, a
Hindu deity prominent in pre-Angkorian
Cambodia. The name "Harihara" in turn is a composite of "Hari" (one of
Vishnu's name listed in
Vishnu sahasranama) and "Hara" (meaning the Hindu god
Shiva). Cambodian representations of Harihara were of a male deity whose one side bore the attributes of
Vishnu and whose other side bore the attributes of
Shiva. For example, the deity’s head covering consisted in a mitre-type hat (the attribute of Vishnu) on one side and as twisted locks of hair (the attribute of Shiva) on the other.
History
Toward the end of the 8th century A.D., the Cambodian king
Jayavarman II conquered vast territories near the great lake
Tonle Sap. For at least part of this time, he established his capital at Hariharalaya. However, when he declared himself the universal monarch of the country in 802 A.D., he did so not at Hariharalaya, but at a location on the
Kulen Plateau. Later, he returned the capital to Hariharalaya, where he died in 835.
Jayavarman II was succeeded by
Jayarvarman III and then by
Indravarman I, who were responsible for the completion of the royal temple mountain known as the
Bakong and the construction of
Indratataka baray.
Indravarman I consecrated the temple’s dominant religious symbol, a
lingam called Sri Indresvara (the name is a combination of the king’s name with that of Shiva), in 881. Indravarman I also constructed the much smaller temple today called
Preah Ko ("Sacred Bull"), dedicated in 880. In 889, Indravarman I was succeeded by his son
Yasovarman I, who constructed the temple of
Lolei (the name may be a modern corruption of "Hariharalaya") on an artificial island in the middle of Indratataka.
Yasovarman also founded a new city at the site of
Angkor Thom north of modern
Siem Reap and called it
Yasodharapura. Yasovarman made the new city his capital and constructed a new royal temple mountain, known as the
Bakheng. Yasodharapura was to survive until the 1170’s when it was sacked by invaders from
Champa.
See also
