Isanavarman I

Īśānavarman (Khmer: ឦសានវរ្ម័នទី១, Īsānavarman, Iśânasena) or Yīshēnàxiāndài (Chinese: 伊奢那先代) was a king of the kingdom of Chenla in 7th century, which would later become the Khmer Empire. He was the son of, and successor to Mahendravarman.^{[1]: 69 [2]: 294}

Isanavarman I
King of Chenla
Reign	616–637
Predecessor	Mahendravarman I
Successor	Bhavavarman II
Died	637 (2024-12-11UTC03:05:43)
Issue	· Jayavarman I · Sri Sarvani (female)
Names Īśānavarman
Father	Mahendravarman I

The name Isanavarman was derived from the word Siva. King Isanavarman was also called Protégé of the Master Siva.^[3]

After Mahendravarman's death, Isanavarman took Isanapura as his capital. The Sambor Prei Kuk historical complex has been identified as Isanapura, the 7th century capital of Chenla.^[4]

The main temples at Sambor Prei Kuk are said to have been founded by King Isanavarman I.

The Book of Sui, compiled in 636, states that at the beginning of the 7th century, Zhēnlà was ruled by one Yīshēnàxiāndài (Īśānavarman) (伊奢那先代). Inscription at Prasat Toc, Prasat Bayang, Vat Chakret, Kdei Ang Chumnik and Sambor Prei Kuk is attributed to the reign of Isanavarman I. The latest inscription attributed to him has been dated to 627 (549 Saka), while the only dated inscription attributed to his successor, Bhavavarman II, is of 639.^[5]

Ma Duanlin described King Ishanavarman's "sumptuous court" at Ishanapura, with the king wearing a crown of gold with precious stones, pearl pendants, and attended by five great ministers.^{[1]: 74–76} Inscriptions to his reign may be found at Kdei Ang (AD 667), Roban Romas, Kuk Prah Kot, Wat Chakret, and Wat Po. The claimed authority over Tamrapura, Cakrankapura, Amoghapura and Bhimapura. Besides the future King Bhavavarman II, a second son, Shivadatta, was governor of Jyesthapura.^{[6]: 36–39}

An inscription dating from the reign of Isanarvarman I, translated, reads: “The great King Isanavarman is full of glory and bravery. He is the King of Kings, who rules over Suvarnabhumi until the sea [Samudra-paryanta Suvarṇabhūmi], which is the border, while the kings in the neighbouring states honour his order to their heads”.^[7] Dr Vong Sotheara, of the Royal University of Phnom Penh, claimed that the inscription would “prove that Suvarnabhumi was the Khmer Empire.”

Sons of Isanavarman

1. Sivadatta
2. Isvarakumara
3. Yuvaraja (Crown Prince) – Name not identified from historical records

Historical connections

An incomplete inscription thought to be from the reign of King Isanavarman narrates, “The great King Īśānavarman is full of glory and bravery. He is the King of Kings, who rules over Suvarṇabhūmi until the sea [Samudra-paryanta Suvarṇabhūmi], which is the border, while the kings in the neighboring states honour his order to their heads.”^[8]

An incomplete Sanskrit inscription, found in the south gate of the Jami Masjid at Jaunpur, has traditionally been ascribed to the Maukhari king of Kanauj Īśvaravarman (first half of 6th century), which shows the connection of the Khmer kingdom with rulers at India during the same period.^[9]

References

1. 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.
2. Higham, C., 2014, Early Mainland Southeast Asia, Bangkok: River Books Co., Ltd., ISBN 9786167339443
3. Kenneth T. So. "Preah Khan Reach and The Genealogy of Khmer Kings" (PDF). Cambosastra. Retrieved 2 March 2017.
4. “Coedès‟ Histories of Cambodia”.page 11.
5. BEFEO 1904.page 693.
6. Higham, C., 2001, The Civilization of Angkor, London: Weidenfeld & Nicolson, ISBN 9781842125847
7. "Rinith Taing, "Was Cambodia home to Asia's ancient 'Land of Gold'?", The Phnom Penh Post, 5 January, 2018". Archived from the original on 6 June 2020. Retrieved 17 September 2024.
8. Gaudes, Rüdiger (1993). "Kauṇḍinya, Preah Thaong, and the "Nāgī Somā": Some Aspects of a Cambodian Legend". Asian Folklore Studies. 52 (2): 333–358. doi:10.2307/1178160. ISSN 0385-2342. JSTOR 1178160.
9. Bakker, Hans (2009). "The So-called 'Jaunpur Stone Inscription of Īśānavarman". Indo-Iranian Journal. 52 (2/3). Brill: 208. doi:10.1163/001972409X12525778274224. JSTOR 24664699.

• Bulletin de l'École française d'Extrême-Orient 1904 - BEFEO 1904
• Vickery, Michael. (2000) "Colloque George Coedès aujourd‟hui". Bangkok, Centre d‟Anthropologie Sirindhorn, 9–10 September 1999.

Published as “Coedès‟ Histories of Cambodia”, in Silpakorn University International Journal (Bangkok,), Volume 1, Number 1, January–June 2000, pp. 61–108.

• Vickery, Michael. (1998). "Society, economics, and politics in pre-Angkor Cambodia: the 7th–8th centuries." :Centre for East Asian Cultural Studies for Unesco. ISBN 9784896561104
• Marr, David G./ Millner, A. C./ Gungwu, Wang (1986). "Southeast Asia in the Ninth to Fourteenth Centuries.". ISBN 9971988399
• Majumdar, Ramesh Chandra. (1980). "Kambuja-Deśa: or, An ancient Hindu colony in Cambodia." :Institute for the Study of Human Issues. ISBN 0915980282

External links

• the Vat Chakret temple inscription of Ishanavarman
• Cambodian rulers

Preceded by Mohendravarman

king of Chenla 616–637

Succeeded by Bhavavarman II