Jayavarman ii |
Reign: 802-850CE |
Jayavarman II was a 9th-century king of Cambodia, and is considered by many historians to be the founder and first king of the Khmer Empire. The most significant thing Jayavarman II did was to have himself declared as king at a special ceremony in the north hills of Angkor. At Mahendrapura, he established the worship of himself as god-king. At the ceremony, all previous pledges or oaths of loyalty were overturned. This ceremony took place on the same date that was used to mark the start of the khmer Empire. The evidence for this is carved on the temple at Sdok Kok Thom and another inscription found near Ba Phnom. Jayavarman II left no inscriptions himself. Jayavarman II is believed to have died in 850CE when his son (Jayavarman III) became the next king. it was unknown how new kings were selected but it was not necessarily by birth, rather it was by the man's ability as a soldier that made him suitable as a leader.