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Hariharalaya was an ancient city and capital of the Khmer empire
Khmer Empire

The Khmer Empire was the largest empire of South East Asia based in what is now Cambodia. The empire, which seceded from the kingdom of Chenla, at times ruled over and/or vassalised parts of modern-day Laos, Thailand,Vietnam, Myanmar, and Malaysia....
 located near Siem Reap
Siem Reap

Siem Reap City is the capital of Siem Reap Province, Cambodia.Siem Reap has colonial and Chinese-style architecture in the Old French Quarter, and around the Old Market....
, Cambodia
Cambodia

The Kingdom of Cambodia is a country in South East Asia with a population of over 13 million people. The kingdom's capital and largest city is Phnom Penh....
 in an area now called Roluos
Roluos

Roluos is a khum of Svay Chek District in Banteay Meanchey in north-western Cambodia...
. Today, all that remains of the city are the ruins of several royal temples: Preah Ko
Preah Ko

Preah Ko was the first temple to be built in the ancient and now defunct city of Hariharalaya , some 15 kilometers south-east of the main group of temples at Angkor, Cambodia....
, the Bakong
Bakong

Bakong is the first Architecture of Cambodia#Temple mountain constructed by rulers of the Khmer empire at Angkor near modern Siem Reap in Cambodia....
, Lolei
Lolei

Lolei is the northernmost temple of the Roluos group of three late 9th century Hindu temples at Angkor, Cambodia, the others members of which are Preah Ko and the Bakong....
.

name "Hariharalaya" is derived from the name of Harihara
Harihara

Harihara is the name of a combined deity form of both Vishnu and Shiva from the Hinduism tradition. Also known as Shankaranarayana , Harihara is thus worshipped by both Vaishnavism and Shaivism as a form of the Supreme God, as well as being a figure of worship for other Hindu traditions in general....
, a Hindu deity prominent in pre-Angkorian Cambodia
Cambodia

The Kingdom of Cambodia is a country in South East Asia with a population of over 13 million people. The kingdom's capital and largest city is Phnom Penh....
. The name "Harihara" in turn is a composite of "Hari" (meaning the Hindu god Vishnu
Vishnu

Vishnu , , is the Supreme God in Vaishnavite tradition of Hinduism. Smarta followers of Adi Shankara, among others, venerate Vishnu as one of panchadeva, and his supreme status is declared in the Hindu sacred texts like Yajurveda, the Rigveda and the Bhagavad Gita....
) and "Hara" (meaning the Hindu god Shiva
Shiva

Shiva: is a major Hinduism god, and one aspect of Trimurti. In the Shaiva tradition of Hinduism, Shiva is seen as the supreme God. In the Smarta tradition, he is one of panchadeva....
).






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Hariharalaya was an ancient city and capital of the Khmer empire
Khmer Empire

The Khmer Empire was the largest empire of South East Asia based in what is now Cambodia. The empire, which seceded from the kingdom of Chenla, at times ruled over and/or vassalised parts of modern-day Laos, Thailand,Vietnam, Myanmar, and Malaysia....
 located near Siem Reap
Siem Reap

Siem Reap City is the capital of Siem Reap Province, Cambodia.Siem Reap has colonial and Chinese-style architecture in the Old French Quarter, and around the Old Market....
, Cambodia
Cambodia

The Kingdom of Cambodia is a country in South East Asia with a population of over 13 million people. The kingdom's capital and largest city is Phnom Penh....
 in an area now called Roluos
Roluos

Roluos is a khum of Svay Chek District in Banteay Meanchey in north-western Cambodia...
. Today, all that remains of the city are the ruins of several royal temples: Preah Ko
Preah Ko

Preah Ko was the first temple to be built in the ancient and now defunct city of Hariharalaya , some 15 kilometers south-east of the main group of temples at Angkor, Cambodia....
, the Bakong
Bakong

Bakong is the first Architecture of Cambodia#Temple mountain constructed by rulers of the Khmer empire at Angkor near modern Siem Reap in Cambodia....
, Lolei
Lolei

Lolei is the northernmost temple of the Roluos group of three late 9th century Hindu temples at Angkor, Cambodia, the others members of which are Preah Ko and the Bakong....
.

Etymology

The name "Hariharalaya" is derived from the name of Harihara
Harihara

Harihara is the name of a combined deity form of both Vishnu and Shiva from the Hinduism tradition. Also known as Shankaranarayana , Harihara is thus worshipped by both Vaishnavism and Shaivism as a form of the Supreme God, as well as being a figure of worship for other Hindu traditions in general....
, a Hindu deity prominent in pre-Angkorian Cambodia
Cambodia

The Kingdom of Cambodia is a country in South East Asia with a population of over 13 million people. The kingdom's capital and largest city is Phnom Penh....
. The name "Harihara" in turn is a composite of "Hari" (meaning the Hindu god Vishnu
Vishnu

Vishnu , , is the Supreme God in Vaishnavite tradition of Hinduism. Smarta followers of Adi Shankara, among others, venerate Vishnu as one of panchadeva, and his supreme status is declared in the Hindu sacred texts like Yajurveda, the Rigveda and the Bhagavad Gita....
) and "Hara" (meaning the Hindu god Shiva
Shiva

Shiva: is a major Hinduism god, and one aspect of Trimurti. In the Shaiva tradition of Hinduism, Shiva is seen as the supreme God. In the Smarta tradition, he is one of panchadeva....
). Cambodian representations of Harihara were of a male deity whose one side bore the attributes of Vishnu
Vishnu

Vishnu , , is the Supreme God in Vaishnavite tradition of Hinduism. Smarta followers of Adi Shankara, among others, venerate Vishnu as one of panchadeva, and his supreme status is declared in the Hindu sacred texts like Yajurveda, the Rigveda and the Bhagavad Gita....
 and whose other side bore the attributes of Shiva
Shiva

Shiva: is a major Hinduism god, and one aspect of Trimurti. In the Shaiva tradition of Hinduism, Shiva is seen as the supreme God. In the Smarta tradition, he is one of panchadeva....
. 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
Jayavarman II

Founder of the First Dynasty of AngkorJayavarman II , a 9th century king of Cambodia, is widely recognized as the founder of the Khmer Empire, which ruled much of the Southeast Asian mainland for more than six hundred years....
 conquered vast territories near the great lake Tonle Sap
Tonlé Sap

The Tonl? Sap , i.e., large body of water is a combined lake and river system of huge importance to Cambodia. It is the largest freshwater lake in South East Asia and is an ecological hot spot that was designated as a UNESCO biosphere in 1997....
. 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
Kulen

Kulen is a type of flavoured sausage made of minced pork that is traditionally produced in Croatia, Slavonija, and it's designation of origin has been protected....
 Plateau. Later, he returned the capital to Hariharalaya, where he died in 835.

Jayavarman II
Jayavarman II

Founder of the First Dynasty of AngkorJayavarman II , a 9th century king of Cambodia, is widely recognized as the founder of the Khmer Empire, which ruled much of the Southeast Asian mainland for more than six hundred years....
 was succeeded by Jayarvarman III and then by Indravarman I
Indravarman I

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....
, who were responsible for the construction of the royal temple mountain known as the Bakong
Bakong

Bakong is the first Architecture of Cambodia#Temple mountain constructed by rulers of the Khmer empire at Angkor near modern Siem Reap in Cambodia....
. Indravarman I
Indravarman I

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....
 consecrated the temple’s dominant religious symbol, a lingam
Lingam

The Lingam is a symbol for the worship of the Hinduism deity Shiva. The use of this symbol for worship is an ancient tradition in India extending back at least to the early Indus Valley civilization....
 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
Preah Ko

Preah Ko was the first temple to be built in the ancient and now defunct city of Hariharalaya , some 15 kilometers south-east of the main group of temples at Angkor, Cambodia....
 ("Sacred Bull"), dedicated in 880. In 889, Indravarman I was succeeded by his son Yasovarman I, who constructed the temple of Lolei
Lolei

Lolei is the northernmost temple of the Roluos group of three late 9th century Hindu temples at Angkor, Cambodia, the others members of which are Preah Ko and the Bakong....
 (the name may be a modern corruption of "Hariharalaya"). Yasovarman
Yasovarman

Yasovarman I was an Khmer Empire king who reigned from AD 889-910....
 also founded a new city at the site of Angkor Thom
Angkor Thom

Angkor Thom was the last and most enduring capital city of the Khmer empire. It was established in the late twelfth century by king Jayavarman VII....
 north of modern Siem Reap
Siem Reap

Siem Reap City is the capital of Siem Reap Province, Cambodia.Siem Reap has colonial and Chinese-style architecture in the Old French Quarter, and around the Old Market....
 and called it Yasodharapura
Yasodharapura

Yasodharapura was the first capital of the Khmer empire to be built at the Angkor site. The city was built during the reign of King Yasovarman I after the palace in the previous capital at Roluos was burned during his struggle to consolidate power upon the death of the previous king, his father....
. Yasovarman made the new city his capital and constructed a new royal temple mountain, known as the Bakeng. Yasodharapura was to survive until the 1170’s when it was sacked by invaders from Champa
Champa

File:Shiva Dong Duong Style.jpgFile:VietnamChampa1.gifThe kingdom of Champa was an Indianized kingdom of Malayo-Polynesian origins and controlled what is now southern and central Vietnam from approximately the 7th century through to 1832....
.

See also

  • Angkor
    Angkor

    Angkor is a name conventionally applied to the region of Cambodia serving as the seat of the Khmer empire that flourished from approximately the ninth century to the fifteenth century A.D....
  • Architecture of Cambodia
    Architecture of Cambodia

    The period of Angkor is the period from approximately the latter half of the 8th century A.D. to the first half of the 15th century. If precise dates are required, the beginning may be set in 802 A.D., when the Khmer people King Jayavarman II pronounced himself universal monarch and declared independence from Java, and the end may be set i...
  • Preah Ko
    Preah Ko

    Preah Ko was the first temple to be built in the ancient and now defunct city of Hariharalaya , some 15 kilometers south-east of the main group of temples at Angkor, Cambodia....
  • Bakong
    Bakong

    Bakong is the first Architecture of Cambodia#Temple mountain constructed by rulers of the Khmer empire at Angkor near modern Siem Reap in Cambodia....
  • Lolei
    Lolei

    Lolei is the northernmost temple of the Roluos group of three late 9th century Hindu temples at Angkor, Cambodia, the others members of which are Preah Ko and the Bakong....


Footnotes