Phnom Kulen
| Author:Laxman Burdak, IFS (R) |
Phnom Kulen (फनोम कुलेन), meaning "Mountain of Lychees", is a mountain range and a part of Phnom Kulen National Park in Siem Reap Province, Cambodia.
Variants
- Phnom Kulen (फनोम कुलेन) (AS, p.729)
- Phnom Koulen
- Phnum Kulén
- Koulen Mountain (Khmer: ភ្នំគូលែន pronounced [pʰnum.kuː.lein]
Location
The Phnom Kulen mountain range is located 30 km northwards from Angkor Wat. Its name means "mountain of the lychees".[1] There is a sacred hilltop site on top of the range.
Phnom Kulen is considered a holy mountain in Cambodia, of special religious significance to Hindus and Buddhists who come to the mountain in pilgrimage.
Near these mountains is Preah Ang Thom, a 16th-century Buddhist monastery notable for the giant reclining Buddha, the country's largest.[2]
The Samré tribe was formerly living at the edge of Phnom Kulen, quarrying sandstone and transporting it to the royal sites.[3]
History
Phnom Kulen has major symbolic importance for Cambodia as the birthplace of the ancient Khmer Empire, for it was at Phnom Kulen that King Jayavarma II proclaimed independence from Java in 802 CE. Jayavarman II initiated the Devaraja cult of the king,[4] a linga cult, in what is dated as 804 CE and declaring his independence from Java of whom the Khmer had been a vassalage state (whether this is actually "Java", the Khmer chvea used to describe Champa, or "Lava" (a Lao kingdom) is debated, as well as the legend that he was earlier held as a ransom of the kingdom in Java. See Higham's The Civilization of Angkor for more information about the debate).[5] During the Angkorian era the relief was known as Mahendraparvata (the mountain of Great Indra).[6]
Phnom Kulen was further developed under the rule of Udayadityavarman II, who made it the capital of his empire and constructed many temples and residences as well as the 1000 Lingas at Kbal Spean. At its peak, the Kulen development was larger than modern-day Phnom Penh and one of the largest cities in the 11th-century world.[7] It would later be eclipsed by Angkor, but still served a vital role, as its water irrigated the entire region.
The Khmer Rouge used the location as a final stronghold as their regime came to an end in 1979 in the Cambodian–Vietnamese War.
महेंद्र पर्वत
विजयेन्द्र कुमार माथुर[8] ने लेख किया है ... महेंद्र पर्वत (AS, p.729) = 3. प्राचीन कंबुज (कंबोडिया) का बड़ा पहाड़ी नगर जहाँ 9 वीं शती में हिंदू राजा जयवर्मन् द्वितीय की राजधानी कुछ समय पर्यंत रही थी. इसका अभिज्ञान अंगकोरथोम के उत्तर पश्चिम की ओर स्थित फनोम कुलेन नामक स्थान से किया गया है.
External links
References
- ↑ Rooney, Dawn F. (2005). Angkor: Cambodia's wondrous khmer temples (5th ed.). Odissey. ISBN 978-962-217-727-7. pp. 264–265
- ↑ Friess, Steve (April 29, 2002). "Beyond, Literally, Angkor Wat". Time Magazine.
- ↑ Les Tribus du Cambodge
- ↑ Coedès, George (1968). Walter F. Vella (ed.). The Indianized States of Southeast Asia. trans.Susan Brown Cowing. University of Hawaii Press. ISBN 978-0-8248-0368-1. pp.99–101
- ↑ Higham, Charles (2002). Civilizations of Angkor. University of California Press. ISBN 0-520-23442-1.
- ↑ Higham, 2001: pp.54-59
- ↑ "About Kulen National Park - Kulen Revealed". Kulen Revealed.
- ↑ Aitihasik Sthanavali by Vijayendra Kumar Mathur, p.729