is the royal temple mountain founded by King
Indravarman I at Hariharalaya. Toward the end of the 8th century CE, 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.
Jayavarman II was succeeded by
Jayavarman 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 Indreshvara (the name is a combination of the king's name with that of Shiva meaning the lord of Indra (Indravarman I) ), in 881 CE. Indravarman I also constructed the much smaller temple today called
Preah Ko ("Sacred Bull"), dedicated in 880 CE. In 889 CE, 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 I also founded a new city at the site of
Angkor Thom north of modern
Siem Reap and called it
Yaśodharapura. Yasovarman made the new city his capital and constructed a new royal temple mountain, known as
Phnom Bakheng. Yaśodharapura was to survive until the 1170s CE when it was sacked by invaders from
Champa. ==See also==