Battle of Tonlé Sap

The Battle of Tonlé Sap (Khmer: សមរភូមិទន្លេសាប, Vietnamese: Thủy chiến Tonlé Sap, French: Bataille de Tonlé Sap) was a conflict between Champa and the Khmer Empire in 1177.^[2]

Battle of Tonlé Sap សមរភូមិទន្លេសាប
Part of Khmer–Cham wars
Relief of Cham forces at Bayon temple
Date 13 June 1177[1] Location Tonlé Sap Angkor Result Victory of Panduranga Khmer Empire was colonized for three years. Territorial changes Southeastern part of Khmer Empire temporarily became part of Champa.
Belligerents
Khmer Empire	Champa Kingdom
Commanders and leaders
Tribhuvanadityavarman Jaya Harivarman II	Jaya Indravarman IV Po Klaung Yăgrai Montagnard forces
Strength
unknown	unknown
Casualties and losses
unknown	unknown

History

The 12th century was a time of conflict and brutal power struggles. Under Suryavarman II (reigned 1113–1150), the Khmer Empire united internally,^[3] and the largest temple of Angkor, Angkor Wat, dedicated to the god Vishnu, was built over a period of 37 years. In the east, Suryavarman's campaigns against Champa and An Nam were unsuccessful,^[4] though he did sack Vijaya in 1145 and deposed Jaya Indravarman III.^[5] The Khmers occupied Vijaya until 1149, when they were driven out by Jaya Harivarman I.^[6] Suryavarman II sent a mission to the Chola dynasty of south India and presented a precious stone to the Chola emperor Kulothunga Chola I in 1114.^[7][8]

Another period followed in which kings reigned briefly and were violently overthrown by their successors. Finally in 1177, the capital of Angkor was raided and looted in a naval battle on the Tonlé Sap lake by a Cham fleet under Po Klong Garai, king of Panduranga,^[1] during which the king of Angkor, Tribhuvanadityavarman, was killed.^{[9][10][11][12]} Po Klong Garai established a new king of Champa, with the title of Jaya Indravarman IV.^[13]

Between 1177 and 1181, when he was in his mid 50s, Jayavarman VII came to historical prominence by leading a Khmer army to oust the Cham invaders, which included a naval battle depicted on the walls of Bayon and Banteay Chmar.^[14] Returning to the capital, he found it in disorder. He put an end to the disputes between warring factions, and in 1181, he was crowned king.^[15]

Aftermath

Mandalas in the 11th–12th centuries

This event marked the peak of the mandala regime in what is now the South Central Coast of modern Vietnam. Soon after, it was disrupted by the expansionist ambitions of the Thăng Long dynasties, followed by the Mongol invasion of Champa. For the Khmer Empire, heavy losses in the central area forced them to abandon the lower Mekong region, leaving it deserted for several centuries until the Nguyễn lords came to reclaim it. The influence of the Khmer Empire then decreased markedly, causing Cham kings to seek marriage with the Javanese royal families for the sake of protection, and at the same time, the Khmer court also began to receive a large number of Muslim settlers, which helped strengthen the very remote lower Mekong region.^{[note 1][16][17][18]} All of this led to rapid changes in the southern part of the Indochinese peninsula, as Islam became increasingly influential among the aristocracy.^{[19][20][21][22] [23][24][25][26]}

Legacy

The annual Katé festival, held in Ninh Thuận and Lâm Đồng provinces of Vietnam, celebrates the day Po Klong Garai led his army across the Midland Highlands to reach Khmer lands.^{[27][note 2][28][29]}

See also

• Khmer–Cham wars
• Siege of Angkor
• Siege of Longvek

Notes

1. Caldarola, Carlo (1982), Religion and Societies: Asia and the Middle East, Walter de Gruyter
2. Nguyễn Hữu Bài, et al. 2014. Văn hóa dân gian Raglai ở Khánh Hòa. Hồ Chí Minh City: Nhà xuất bản Văn hóa Văn nghệ. ISBN 978-604-68-1078-0