Angkor Khmer Reservoirs (baray)

Timeline

1. 1071–1075West Baray · AngkorAfter its completion in the 11th century, the West Baray became the core water-storage facility of the Angkor area, supplying water to surrounding rice fields and settlements through feeder canals, supporting the Khmer Empire's food output and population concentration; it is the most representative giant work of the baray system.
2. 1074–1078Irrigation districts around Angkor Thom · AngkorKhmer craftsmen connected the baray with rivers and field-ridge channels, storing water in the wet season and releasing it in the dry season, enabling multiple rice harvests and stable yields, allowing the capital to maintain the grain taxes needed for large corvée populations and temple construction.
3. 1077–1080East Baray and Angkor Thom · AngkorIn Angkor cosmology the baray symbolized the oceans surrounding Mount Meru; temples on its banks and royal rituals reinforced the monarch's mastery over water and land. In the late 11th century, the eastern and western barays and Angkor Thom formed a capital layout integrating hydraulics, religion, and politics.