Angkor Empire

Khmer Empire
កម្វុជទេឝ ख्मेर साम्राज्य Kambujadesa
802–1431
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Map of Southeast Asia 900 CE; Khmer Empire in red
Capital		Mahendraparvata (early 9th cent.) Hariharalaya (9th cent.) Yasodharapura (late 9th to early 15cent.)
Languages		Old Khmer Sanskrit
Religion		Hinduism Mahayana Buddhism Theravada Buddhism
Government		Absolute monarchy
King
•	802–850	Jayavarman II
•	1113–1150	Suryavarman II
•	1181–1218	Jayavarman VII
•	1393–1463	Ponhea Yat
Historical era		Middle Ages
•	Enthronement of Jayavarman II	802
•	Siamese invasion	1431
Area
		1,200,000 km2 (460,000 sq mi)
Population
•	1150 est.	2,000,000
Preceded by Succeeded by Chenla Dark ages of Cambodia Ayutthaya Kingdom Lan Xang
Today part of		Cambodia  Laos  Myanmar  Thailand  Vietnam

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The Khmer Empire (Khmer: ចក្រភពខ្មែរ ឬ អាណាចក្រខ្មែរ), officially the Angkor Empire (Khmer: ចក្រភពអង្គរ), the predecessor state to modern Cambodia ("Kampuchea" or "Srok Khmer" to the Khmer people), was a powerful Hindu-Buddhist empire in Southeast Asia. The empire, which grew out of the former kingdoms of Funan and Chenla, at times ruled over and/or vassalised most of mainland Southeast Asia.

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 and aesthetics achievements, as well as 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 CE. In this year, King Jayavarman II had himself declared chakravartin ("king of the world", or "king of kings") on Phnom Kulen. The empire ended with the fall of Angkor in the 15th century.