ANGKOR - The Khmer Legacy
62 images Created 3 Jul 2009
THE KHMER EMPIRE- Angkor Wat and its domains of modern Cambodia and Thailand.
The Khmer Empire or Angkor Empire (Khmer: អាណាចក្រអង្គរ: Anachak Angkor) are the terms that historians use to refer to Cambodia from the 9th century to the 15th century when the nation was a Hindu/Buddhist empire in Southeast Asia. The empire referred to itself as Kambuja or Kambujadesa which were ancient terms for Cambodia. The empire, which grew out of the former civilizations of Funan and Chenla, at times ruled over and/or vassalised most of mainland Southeast Asia and parts of Southern China, stretching from the tip of the Indochinese Peninsula northward to modern Yunnan province, China, and from Vietnam westward to Myanmar.
Its greatest legacy is Angkor, in present-day Cambodia, which was the site of the capital city during the empire's zenith. The majestic monuments of Angkor, such as Angkor Wat and Bayon, bear testimony to the Khmer Empire's immense power and wealth, impressive art and culture, architectural technique, aesthetics achievements, and the variety of belief systems that it patronised over time. Satellite imaging has revealed that Angkor, during its peak in the 11th to 13th centuries, was the largest pre-industrial urban centre in the world.
The beginning of the era of the Khmer Empire is conventionally dated to 802 when King Jayavarman II declared himself chakravartin ("universal ruler") on Phnom Kulen. The empire ended with the fall of Angkor in the 15th century
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Nomadic by nature, and as a qualified geologist, Jeremy wandered into the Himalaya in 1987, teaching himself documentary photography. He has worked in over 100 countries over the last three decades, producing nine books, including Living Incas and Island Dreams: Mediterranean. His latest book, Nirvana, The Spread of Buddhism through Asia won a prestigious Benjamin Franklin Medal.
The Khmer Empire or Angkor Empire (Khmer: អាណាចក្រអង្គរ: Anachak Angkor) are the terms that historians use to refer to Cambodia from the 9th century to the 15th century when the nation was a Hindu/Buddhist empire in Southeast Asia. The empire referred to itself as Kambuja or Kambujadesa which were ancient terms for Cambodia. The empire, which grew out of the former civilizations of Funan and Chenla, at times ruled over and/or vassalised most of mainland Southeast Asia and parts of Southern China, stretching from the tip of the Indochinese Peninsula northward to modern Yunnan province, China, and from Vietnam westward to Myanmar.
Its greatest legacy is Angkor, in present-day Cambodia, which was the site of the capital city during the empire's zenith. The majestic monuments of Angkor, such as Angkor Wat and Bayon, bear testimony to the Khmer Empire's immense power and wealth, impressive art and culture, architectural technique, aesthetics achievements, and the variety of belief systems that it patronised over time. Satellite imaging has revealed that Angkor, during its peak in the 11th to 13th centuries, was the largest pre-industrial urban centre in the world.
The beginning of the era of the Khmer Empire is conventionally dated to 802 when King Jayavarman II declared himself chakravartin ("universal ruler") on Phnom Kulen. The empire ended with the fall of Angkor in the 15th century
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Nomadic by nature, and as a qualified geologist, Jeremy wandered into the Himalaya in 1987, teaching himself documentary photography. He has worked in over 100 countries over the last three decades, producing nine books, including Living Incas and Island Dreams: Mediterranean. His latest book, Nirvana, The Spread of Buddhism through Asia won a prestigious Benjamin Franklin Medal.
