The West Baray ( Khmer : បារាយណ៍ខាងលិច , UNGEGN : Baréayôn Khang Lĭch , ALA-LC : Pārāyaṇ ̊ Khang Lic [ɓaraːj kʰaːŋ ləc] ) or Baray Teuk Thla ( Khmer : បារាយណ៍ទឹកថ្លា , UNGEGN : Baréayôn Tœ̆k Thla , ALA-LC : Pārāyaṇ ̊ Dẏk Thlā [ɓaraːj tək tʰlaː] ; "Clear Water Reservoir") is a baray , or reservoir, at Angkor , Cambodia , oriented east–west and located just west of the walled city Angkor Thom . Rectangular in shape and measuring approximately 7.8 by 2.1 kilometers, the West Baray is the largest baray at Angkor and one of the largest handcut water reservoirs on Earth, possessing a current maximum capacity of 53 million m of water (14 billion gallons). Its waters are contained by tall earthen dikes measuring 11.9 meters in height. In the center of the baray is the West Mebon , a Hindu temple built on an artificial island.
15-464: Construction of the baray probably began in the 11th century during the reign of King Suryavarman I and was finished later under King Udayadityavarman II . The Angkorian engineers who created the West Baray appear to have in places incorporated earlier construction. The east dike, for instance, appears to be largely a section of a dike that enclosed the capital city of King Yasovarman , which had
30-734: A present to the Chola Emperor Rajendra Chola I . It seems that the Khmer king Suryavarman I requested aid from the powerful Chola Emperor Rajendra Chola against the Tambralinga kingdom. After learning of Suryavarman's alliance with Rajendra Chola I , the Tambralinga kingdom requested aid from the Srivijaya king Sangrama Vijayatungavarman. That eventually led to the Chola Empire coming into conflict with
45-453: A protracted war with Udayadityavarman's would-be successor, Jayavirahvarman , Suryavarman I claimed the throne in 1010. Suryavarman was a Mahayana Buddhist who was also tolerant of the growing Theravada Buddhist presence in the Khmer kingdom. Suryavarman I established diplomatic relations with the Chola dynasty of south India (Tamilnadu) around 1012. Suryavarman I sent a chariot as
60-546: A queen Jayadevi. Early French experts believed the West Baray to have functioned as a vast holding tank for water that fed irrigation canals in dry times, allowing multiple crops of rice each year. Many later studies, however, theorize that the baray had mainly symbolic functions, serving as a vast earthly depiction of the Hindu Sea of Creation, with the West Mebon temple at its center. In modern times, an irrigation lock
75-568: Is the largest Khmer reservoir to survive. There is some indication that Suryavarman sent a gift to Rajendra Chola I , the Chola Emperor . During his reign, 47 cities (known as 47 pura ) were under the control of Khmer Empire. Suryavarman died in 1050 and was given the posthumous title Nirvanapada ("the king who has gone to nirvana"), a nod to his Buddhist beliefs. He was succeeded by his sons, Udayadityavarman II , who died around 1066, and Harshavarman III (Sadasivapada), who continued
90-716: The Mekong basin. Suryavarman probably started construction at Preah Khan Kompong Svay and expanded Banteay Srei , Wat Ek Phnom , and Phnom Chisor . The major constructions by the king were the Prasat Preah Vihear , on Dangrek Mountain , and completion of the Phimeanakas and Ta Keo . Suryavarman also started the second Angkor reservoir, the West Baray , which is 8 km long and 2.1 km wide. It held more than 123 million liters of water. That
105-563: The Phnom Bakheng temple at its center. In other places, the baray obliterated or submerged earlier human-made sites. The south dike, for instance, partially buried a brick pyramid temple, Ak Yum . And the western floor of the baray appears to have once been inhabited—archeological work has found wall bases, steps, and pottery shards there. An inscription stele discovered in the area, dating from 713 A.D., offers further evidence of earlier settlement, defining rice fields that were offered to
120-715: The Srivijiya Empire. The war ended with a victory for the Chola dynasty and the Khmer Empire , major losses for the Sri Vijaya Empire and the Tambralinga kingdom. His reign lasted some 40 years, and he spent much of that time defending it. Known as the "King of the Just Laws," he consolidated his political power by inviting some 4000 local officials to the royal palace and swear an oath of allegiance to him. Suryavarman favored Buddhism but allowed
135-693: The Veda-s"; plural form : वेदांगानि vedāṅgāni ) are six auxiliary disciplines of Hinduism that developed in ancient times and have been connected with the study of the Vedas : The character of Vedangas has roots in ancient times, and the Brihadaranyaka Upanishad mentions it as an integral part of the Brahmanas layer of the Vedic texts. These auxiliary disciplines of study arise with
150-454: The Vedic texts composed centuries earlier grew too archaic to the people of that time. Vedangas developed as ancillary studies for the Vedas, but its insights into meters, structure of sound and language, grammar, linguistic analysis and other subjects influenced post-Vedic studies, arts, culture and various schools of Hindu philosophy . The Kalpa Vedanga studies, for example, gave rise to
165-515: The bare eye from the 410 km altitude of the ISS . This article about a building or structure in Cambodia is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Suryavarman I Suryavarman I ( Khmer : សូរ្យវរ្ម័នទី១ ; posthumously Nirvanapada ) was king of the Khmer Empire from 1006 to 1050. Suryavarman usurped King Udayadityavarman I , defeating his armies in approximately 1002. After
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#1732772440087180-530: The codification of the Vedas in Iron Age India . It is unclear when the list of six Vedangas were first conceptualized. The Vedangas likely developed towards the end of the Vedic period, around or after the middle of the 1st millennium BCE. An early text of the genre is the Nighantu by Yaska , dated to roughly the 5th century BCE. These auxiliary fields of Vedic studies emerged because the language of
195-511: The people to continue practising Hinduism . His palace was situated in the vicinity of Angkor Thom , and he was the first Khmer ruler to protect his palace with a wall. In the inscription at Tuol Ta Pec, Suryavarman is said to have known of the principles of the six Vedangas . Suryavarman expanded his territory to the west to Lopburi , including the Menam basin in Thailand , and east into
210-546: The struggle against internal rebellions and fought off assaults from the Chams until his death in 1080. The video game Age of Empires II HD: Rise of the Rajas contains a five-chapter campaign titled "Suryavarman I". Vedangas Divisions Sama vedic Yajur vedic Atharva vedic Vaishnava puranas Shaiva puranas Shakta puranas The Vedanga ( Sanskrit : वेदांग vedāṅga , "limb of
225-460: Was built in the baray's southern dike, raising the water level and allowing provision of water to fields to the south. Today the baray retains water in its western end year-round. In the rainy season, water advances to the eastern dike. With clear, still waters, the baray today is a popular place for swimming and boat rides by local residents. It has occasionally served as a landing site for seaplanes. The two Baray Lakes are visible from space with
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