ABSTRACT

After an intermediate move of the capital to Roluos, the seat of government was shifted to Angkor during the reign of Yaśovarman I, who ascended the throne in 889. What would become Angkor began as the city of Yaśodharapura, founded by Yaśovarman on the hill that is now known as Phnom Bakheng. The hill, only a short distance from Angkor Wat, was the first "temple mountain" at Angkor. (The name Angkor, meaning "city" or "capital," was applied to the city by westerners.) The Khmer pyramid temples differ from other, similar structures around the world because of their degree of symbolism. The temple mountain represents Mount Meru, which, according to Hindu mythology, is the cosmic mountain and the axis of the universe. The summit of Mount Meru with its five peaks is the home of the celestial gods. The representation of Mount Meru in the architectural form of a temple symbolically created a home for the gods on earth. Later Khmer kings elaborated on this symbolism; temples built at the center of barays (lakes) represented the cosmic ocean that surrounded Mount Meru.