Khmer–Cham wars

Depiction of a naval battle between the Cham and the Khmer on the Bayon relief

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Part of a series on the
History of Champa
show Ancient period Sa Huỳnh culture 1000 BC–200 AD Chinese rule 48 BC–192 AD Lâm Ấp 192–629
show Medieval and early modern period Classical Champa (Khmer–Cham wars Cham–Vietnamese wars)
show Modern period Ninh Thuận Province Panduranga (Champa) (Katip Sumat uprising) Modern status Cham people
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Khmer–Cham wars were a series of conflicts and contests between states of the Khmer Empire and Champa, later involving Đại Việt, that lasted from the mid-10th century to the early 13th century in mainland Southeast Asia. The first conflict began in 950 CE when Khmer troops sacked the Cham principality of Kauthara. Tensions between the Khmer Empire and Champa reached a climax in the middle of the 12th century when both deployed field armies and waged devastating wars against each other. The conflicts ended after the Khmer army voluntarily retreated from occupying Champa in 1220.

Khmer invasion of Kauthara (950)[]

Vietnamese war elephant and soldiers pottery figure

Around 950, the Khmer under Rajendravarman II pillaged the temple of Po Nagar in Kauthara and carried off the statue of the goddess.^[1] In 965, the Cham King restored the temple and rebuilt the statue of the goddess to replace the one stolen by the Khmer.^[2][1]

Khmer invasions of Northern Champa (1074–1080)[]

In 1074, became king of Champa. He had close ties to Song China and made peace with Dai Viet, but provoked a war with the Khmer Empire.^[3][4][5] In 1080, a Khmer army attacked Vijaya and other centers in northern Champa. Temples and monasteries were sacked and cultural treasures were carried off. After much chaos, Cham troops under King Harivarman were able to defeat the invaders and restore the capital and temples.^[6] Subsequently, his raiding forces penetrated Cambodia as far as Sambor and the Mekong, where they destroyed all religious sanctuaries.^[7]

Suryavarman II's wars (1128–1150)[]

In 1127, Suryavarman II demanded Vietnamese king Lý Dương Hoán to pay tribute for the Khmer Empire, but the Vietnamese refused. Suryavarman decided to expand his territory northward into Vietnamese territory.^[8] The first attack was in 1128 when King Suryavarman led 20,000 soldiers from Savannakhet to Nghệ An, where they were routed in battle.^[9] The following year Suryavarman continued skirmishes on land and sent 700 ships to bombard the coastal areas of Đại Việt. In 1132, he persuaded Cham king to join forces with him to attack Đại Việt, where they briefly seized Nghệ An and pillaged the coastal districts of Thanh Hoá.^[7][9]

In 1136, a Vietnamese force under Đỗ Anh Vũ counterattacked the Khmers with 30,000 men, but later retreated.^[8] The Cham thereupon made peace with the Vietnamese, and when Suryavarman renewed the attack, Jaya Indravarman refused to cooperate with the Khmers.^[7] After a failed attempt to seize seaports in southern Đại Việt, Suryavarman turned to invade Champa in 1145 and sacked Vijaya, ending the reign of and destroying the temples at Mỹ Sơn.^[10][11][12] They occupied northern Champa until 1149, when they were driven out of by Jaya Harivarman I of Panduranga.^[10] Harivarman then reunited the kingdom. A royal pretender, Vamsaraja, attacked Harivarman with highland troops but was defeated and escaped to Đại Việt.^[13]

Cham invasions of Angkor (1170–1177)[]

After securing peace with Đại Việt in 1170, Cham forces under Jaya Indravarman IV invaded the Khmer Empire over land with inconclusive results.^[13] In 1177, however, his troops launched a surprise attack against the Khmer capital of Yasodharapura from warships piloted up the Mekong River to the great lake Tonlé Sap and killed the Khmer king Tribhuvanadityavarman.^[14][15][16] Multiple-bow siege crossbows were introduced to Champa from Song dynasty in 1171, and later were mounted on the backs of Cham and Vietnamese war elephants.^[17][18] They were deployed by the Cham during the siege of Angkor, which was defended only by wooden palisades, leading to the Cham occupation of Cambodia for the next four years.^[17]

Jayavarman VII's conquest of Champa (1190–1203)[]

In 1190, the Khmer king Jayavarman VII appointed a Cham prince named Vidyanandana, who had been educated at Angkor, to lead the Khmer army. Vidyanandana defeated the invaders and proceeded to occupy Vijaya and capture Jaya Indravarman IV, whom he sent back to Angkor as a prisoner.^[19][20] Adopting the title of Shri Suryavarmadeva (or Suryavarman), Vidyanandana made himself king of Panduranga, which became a Khmer vassal. He made Prince In, a brother-in-law of Jayavarman VII, "King Suryajayavarmadeva in the Nagara of Vijaya" (or Suryajayavarman). In 1191, a revolt at Vijaya drove Suryajayavarman back to Cambodia and enthroned Jaya Indravarman V. Vidyanandana re-occupied Vijaya, killed both Jaya Indravarman IV and Jaya Indravarman V, then "reigned without opposition over the Kingdom of Champa,"^[20][21] declaring his independence from the Khmer Empire.

Khmer armies under Jayavarman VII continued campaigning against Champa until the Chams were finally defeated in 1203.^[22] The Khmer later also had double bow crossbows mounted on elephants, which Michel Jacq Hergoualc’h suggest were elements of Cham mercenaries in Jayavarman VII's army.^[18] The Khmer sent the Cham king Suryavarman into exile.^[23] Jayavarman VII added Champa into his empire as a province, until the Chams regained independence in 1220.^[24][12] Following the voluntary Khmer evacuation of Champa, a Cham prince of the old royal line took over the reins of government peacefully, proclaimed himself Jaya Paramesvaravarman II, and restored Champa's sovereigns.^[25][21]

See also[]

• Sino–Cham war
• History of the Cham–Vietnamese wars

References[]

Citation[]

Bibliography[]