Suryavarman II - Early Years

Early Years

The king appears to have grown up in a provincial estate, at a time of weakening central controls in the empire. An inscription lists his father as Ksitindraditya, his mother as Narendralashmi. As a young prince, he maneuvered for power, contending he had a legitimate claim to the throne. “At the end of his studies,” states an inscription, “he approved the desire of the royal dignity of his family.” He appears to have dealt with a rival claimant from the line of Hashovarman III, which held sway in the south, then to have turned on the elderly and largely ineffectual King Dharanindravarman, his great uncle. “Leaving on the field of combat the ocean of his armies, he delivered a terrible battle,” states an inscription. “Bounding on the head of the elephant of the enemy king, he killed him, as Garuda on the edge of a mountain would kill a serpent.” Scholars have disagreed on whether this language refers to the death of the southern claimant or King Dharanindravarman.

Suryavarman was enthroned D. An aged Braman sage named Divakarapandita oversaw the ceremonies, this being the third time the priest had officiated coronation. Inscriptions record that the new monarch studied sacred rituals, celebrated religious festivals and gave gifts to the priest such as palanquins, fans, crowns, buckets and rings. The priest embarked on a lengthy tour of temples in the empire, including the mountaintop Preah Vihear, which he provided with a golden statue of dancing Shiva. The king’s formal coronation took place in 1119 AD, with Divakarapandita again performing the rites.

The first two syllables in the monarch's name are a Sanskrit root meaning "sun". Varman is the traditional suffix of Indian kshatriyas that is generally translated as "shield" or "protector", and was adopted by Khmer royal lineages.