Jayavarman II

king of Khmer empire
verifiedCite
While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions.
Select Citation Style
Feedback
Corrections? Updates? Omissions? Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login).
Thank you for your feedback

Our editors will review what you’ve submitted and determine whether to revise the article.

Print
verifiedCite
While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions.
Select Citation Style
Feedback
Corrections? Updates? Omissions? Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login).
Thank you for your feedback

Our editors will review what you’ve submitted and determine whether to revise the article.

Also known as: Paramesvara
Quick Facts
Posthumous name:
Paramesvara (literally, Supreme Lord)
Born:
c. 770
Died:
850, Hariharalaya, Cambodia
Title / Office:
king (802-850), Cambodia

Jayavarman II (born c. 770—died 850, Hariharalaya, Cambodia) was the founder of the Khmer, or Cambodian, empire and an outstanding member of the series of rulers of the Angkor period (802–1431). Among Jayavarman II’s accomplishments were the deification of the Cambodian monarchy, the establishment of the devarāja cult as the official state religion, and the reunification of the old kingdom of Chenla, which he expanded and formed into the Khmer empire.

Possibly of Khmer descent, Jayavarman II came from Java, where he had been in captivity or exile, to succeed to the throne as Java’s vassal around 800. An unwilling puppet, he defied the Javanese and asserted Khmer independence in 802, when he also was installed under Hindu rites as devarāja, or god-king. He established a series of capitals, first at Indrapura, on the lower Mekong River east of Kâmpóng (Kompong) Cham; then, moving northwards, at Hariharalaya, southeast of present-day Siĕmréab (Siem Reap); and then at Mahendraparvata, in the region just north of the Tonle Sap (Great Lake), not far from Angkor, the next seat of the Khmer empire, which remained its capital for 600 years.

This article was most recently revised and updated by Encyclopaedia Britannica.