Early Angkorian Urbanism based on Archaeological Evidence and LiDAR

CHHAY Rachna

Historically, the first king of Angkor, Jayavarman II (802-834 AD), went from Hariharalaya to Mahendraparvata to celebrate a Devaraja ceremony to declare himself a universal king of Angkor in 802 AD. According to archaeological evidence and LiDAR, there is a clear connection between Hariharalaya and Mahendraparvata through King Jayavarman II. First, radiocarbon dates and palynological data indicated an establishment of Hariharalaya from the late 8th through the 9th century. The Hariharalaya urban city contained its important royal infrastructure and a canal that possibly connected the city to Tonle Sap Lake. Second, the landscape management on Kulean includes a grid system (an urban city) and its water management reflects well on urban planning by King Jayavarman II. In addition to urbanisation on Mahendraparvata, there was a great canal linking Tonle Sap toward Mahendraparvata known as Prek Sramouch. The archaeological excavation and LiDAR, in 2023-24, along this 23-kilometre canal indicated their functions and connected to the first Angkorian king’s urbanisation (dimension of the canal and its central infrastructure for controlling the flow in the canal). Although further investigation on radiocarbon and palynological data is still needed for better understanding the role of the Prek Sramouch canal, this presentation will compare the urbanism of Hariharalaya and Mahendraparvata and illustrate how ancient Khmer tried to manage and connect their urban cities with the great Tonle Sap lake.