Editing Angkor (section)

=== Shiva and the lingam ===
The Khmer king [[Jayavarman II]], whose assumption of power around 800&nbsp;AD marks the beginning of the Angkorian period, established his capital at a place called [[Hariharalaya]] (today known as [[Roluos]]), at the northern end of the great lake, [[Tonlé Sap]].{{sfn|Higham|2001|p=57}} [[Harihara]] is the name of a deity that combines the essence of [[Vishnu]] (Hari) with that of [[Shiva]] (Hara) and that was much favored by the Khmer kings.{{sfn|Chandler|1992|p=20}} Jayavarman II's adoption of the epithet "devaraja" (god-king) signified the monarch's special connection with Shiva.{{sfn|Chandler|1992|p=34}}

The beginning of the Angkorian period was also marked by changes in religious architecture. During the reign of Jayavarman II, the single-chambered sanctuaries typical of Chenla gave way to temples constructed as a series of raised platforms bearing multiple towers.{{sfn|Higham|2001|p=57}} Increasingly impressive temple pyramids came to represent [[Mount Meru]], the home of the Hindu gods, with the moats surrounding the temples representing the mythological oceans.{{sfn|Higham|2001|pp=9, 60}}>
[[File:Museum für Indische Kunst Dahlem Berlin Mai 2006 036 2.jpg|right|thumb|An 11th- or 12th-century Cambodian bronze statue of [[Vishnu]]]] Typically, a [[lingam]] served as the central religious image of the Angkorian temple-mountain. The temple-mountain was the center of the city, and the lingam in the main sanctuary was the focus of the temple.{{sfn|Stern|1934|p=615}} The name of the central lingam was the name of the king himself, combined with the suffix ''-esvara'', which designated Shiva.{{sfn|Stern|1934|p=612}} Through the worship of the lingam, the king was identified with Shiva, and [[Shaivism]] became the state religion.{{sfn|Stern|1934|p=616}}

Thus, an inscription dated 881&nbsp;AD indicates that king [[Indravarman I]] erected a lingam named ''Indresvara''.{{sfn|Higham|2001|p=63}} Another inscription tells us that Indravarman erected eight lingams in his courts and that they were named for the "eight elements of Shiva".{{sfn|Higham|2001|p=63}} Similarly, [[Rajendravarman]], whose reign began in 944&nbsp;AD, constructed the temple of [[Pre Rup]], the central tower of which housed the royal lingam called ''Rajendrabhadresvara''.{{sfn|Higham|2001|p=73 ff}}