Latest / The Khmer Empire: The Lost Civilization Behind Angkor Wat — Fexingo History / Indravarman III: The Forgotten King Who Built the West Baray
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- Lucas: So we've talked a lot about Jayavarman VII and Suryavarman II, but there's this earlier king, Indravarman III, who doesn't get nearly as much attention. He reigned right at the end of the 9th century, and he's the one who ordered the construction of the West Baray. Luna: Oh, the West Baray — that huge reservoir? I've seen photos; it's almost like an inland sea. Lucas: Exactly. It's about 8 kilometers long and 2.2 kilometers wide, holding roughly 50 million cubic meters of water. To put that in perspective, that's enough to fill 20,000 Olympic swimming pools. And it's still partly functional today, though it's been modified. But the sheer scale of the engineering in the 9th century is staggering. Luna: How did they build something that big without modern equipment? Lucas: They used a combination of earthen embankments and laterite blocks — a kind of porous rock that's abundant in the region. They also dug canals to divert water from the Siem Reap River. The baray wasn't just for irrigation; it also had a deep religious significance. In Hindu cosmology, water represents the primordial ocean of creation, and the baray was seen as a representation of that cosmic ocean, surrounding the temple-mountain at its center. Luna: So it's like a Mount Meru surrounded by a sea of milk, but on a literal scale. Lucas: Exactly. Indravarman III was following a tradition started by his predecessor, Indravarman I, who built the Indratataka baray and the Bakong temple-mountain. But Indravarman III took it to another level. His reign was relatively short — about 12 years, from 889 to 901 CE — but in that time he also built the Preah Ko temple, dedicated to his ancestors, and completed the Bakong, which was started by his uncle. Luna: Wait — his uncle? So Indravarman III wasn't a direct successor? Lucas: That's where it gets interesting. He came to power after the death of his cousin, King Yasovarman I. There's evidence that Yasovarman I had a son who was the legitimate heir, but Indravarman III seized the throne. The Sdok Kak Thom inscription, which we've talked about before, hints at some kind of usurpation. It says Indravarman III 'took the kingdom from his nephew.' So there might have been a power struggle, and Indravarman III won. Luna: Wow, so he's like a historical figure who built all this amazing stuff but maybe wasn't the rightful king. Lucas: Right. And that might explain why he was so focused on monumental construction — to legitimize his rule. Building a massive baray and a temple like Preah Ko, which was dedicated to his ancestors, was a way of showing that he was a pious, powerful king, worthy of the throne. It's a pattern we see in many cultures: new rulers often build big to assert their authority. Luna: Speaking of which, I'm really glad we can talk about these things without ads interrupting. You know, it's one of the things I love about this show — we just get to dive deep. Lucas: Absolutely. And that's by design. We deliberately don't run ads on these episodes, because we want the conversation to flow naturally. If you want to support that choice, the link is buy me a coffee dot com slash fexingo. It's a small way to keep this ad-free and independent. Luna: Yeah, it really makes a difference. Okay, back to Indravarman III — so after building all this, what happened to him? Lucas: He died in 901, and his reign was followed by a period of instability. His son, Jayavarman IV, took the throne but then moved the capital away from Angkor to Koh Ker, about 120 kilometers north. That's a whole other story. But the West Baray remained. It was expanded and maintained by later kings, including Suryavarman II and Jayavarman VII, and it became a key part of Angkor's water management system. Luna: So Indravarman III, despite being a usurper, left a lasting legacy. Lucas: Exactly. And there's another interesting detail: the West Baray has an artificial island in the center, called the West Mebon. That island was built later, probably in the 11th century, and it holds a temple dedicated to Vishnu. There's a giant bronze statue of Vishnu that was found there, now in the National Museum of Phnom Penh. It's about 4 meters tall and dates to the same period. So the baray became a sacred space, not just a reservoir. Luna: I love that — a reservoir that's also a temple island. It's like the Khmer Empire didn't separate the practical from the spiritual. Lucas: That's a good way to put it. For them, the two were deeply intertwined. The baray provided water for rice cultivation, but it also represented the cosmic ocean, and the temple on the island was Mount Meru, the center of the universe. Every time the water level rose and fell with the monsoon, it was like a reenactment of creation. Luna: So Indravarman III's project was both an engineering feat and a religious statement. Lucas: Exactly. And it's a testament to the sophistication of the Khmer Empire at its peak. We often focus on the later kings and the big temples, but it's the water infrastructure that made everything else possible. Without the West Baray and the other barays, Angkor couldn't have supported its population of nearly a million people. Luna: It's a reminder that ancient civilizations were masters of engineering. Lucas: They really were. And Indravarman III, despite being a somewhat shadowy figure, deserves more credit for that. His reign might have been short and controversial, but the West Baray stands as a monument to his ambition.