Khmer Empire
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The Khmer Empire or Angkor Empire (Khmer: ចក្រភពអង្គរ, Chăkrâphôp Ângkô are the terms that historians use to refer to Cambodia from 802 CE to 1431 CE when the nation was a Hindu/Buddhist empire in Southeast Asia. The empire referred to itself as Kambuja or Kambujadeśa which are ancient terms for Cambodia. The empire grew out of the former civilizations of Funan and Chenla, and at times ruled over and/or vassalized most of mainland Southeast Asia and parts of Southern China, its control stretching from the tip of the Indochinese Peninsula northward to modern Yunnan province, China, and from Vietnam westward to Myanmar.
A notable achievement is the site of Angkor, which is located in present-day Cambodia, the Khmer capital when the empire was the greatest. The majestic monuments of Angkor, such as Angkor Wat and Bayon, show the Khmer Empire's immense power, wealth, art, culture, architectural technique, aesthetics achievements, and the variety of belief systems that the Khmer Empire had over time. Satellite imaging has revealed that Angkor was the largest pre-industrial urban center in the world during the Khmer Empire's peak in the 11th to 13th centuries,.
The beginning of the era of the Khmer Empire is conventionally dated to 802 when King Jayavarman II declared himself chakravartin ("universal ruler", title equivalent to "emperor") on Phnom Kulen. The empire ended with the fall of Angkor in the 15th century.