Isanapura
ឦសានបុរៈ | |
Isanapura Location in Cambodia | |
| Location | Kampong Thom, Cambodia |
|---|---|
| Region | Southeast Asia |
| Coordinates | 12°52′16″N 105°02′35″E / 12.871°N 105.043°E |
| History | |
| Builder | Isanavarman I |
| Founded | 618 AD |
| Abandoned | late 9th century AD |
| Periods | Middle Ages |
| Site notes | |
| Condition | restored and ruined |
| Public access | Yes |
| Architecture | |
| Architectural styles | Sambor Prei Kuk |
Isanapura (Khmer: ឦសានបុរៈ), also known as Sambhupura (Khmer: សម្ភុបុរៈ) or Sambor of St'ung Sen, was the capital of the ancient kingdom of Chenla. It is located in what is now Kampong Thom Province in Cambodia. The city was founded in about 618 at Leek Sambor Kuk by King Isanavarman I.
Identification by Isanapura took place in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, with the first preliminary study conducted in 1912. The first comprehensive recognition of a city by Henri Parmentier in 1927, working for the École Française d’Extrême-Orient (EFEO). Since preliminary studies were first undertaken, a total of 23 inscriptions have been found at Sambor Prei Kuk.
The naming of Isanapura is contested among scholars. George Coedes initially believed Bhavapura to be in central southern Laos, shifting later on to believe the site Ampu Rolu’m was instead Bhavapura. Claude Jacques argues that the site of Sambor Prei Kuk was in fact Bhavapura. Michael Vickery argues that this is unlikely, but it is probable that Bhavapura is indeed close to Isanapura, given inscriptional evidence that references both Isanapura and Bhavapura as separate entities.
Today, the site of old Isanapura contains the ruins of 150 temples and buildings, which are a few centuries older than that of the Khmer Empire around Angkor Wat. During the Vietnam War, some of these temples were completely destroyed by US bombers. Further damage was done by vandals, dealers in old relics, and the Khmer Rouge. Many temples have been overgrown by the jungle.