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Khmer Empire Hydraulic Works

Type Object Region Southeast Asia Time c. 800–1300

Barays are large rectangular artificial reservoirs built by the Khmer Empire, working with canals and river ports to supply the capital's rice irriga…

Timeline

  1. c. 800–900Eastern Baray · CambodiaRulers such as Indravarman I dug early barays on the Angkor plain, regulating rainy-season floods and providing dry-season water for rice fields, laying the prototype of the Khmer hydraulic-agricultural system.
  2. c. 1002–1050West Baray · Siem Reap ProvinceUnder Suryavarman I the West Baray was expanded on a large scale, significantly increasing water storage to support capital population growth and the ritual water needs of temple complexes, forming a closed water system with the canal network.
  3. c. 1050–1200Angkor monuments hydraulic network · CambodiaThe baray, temples, royal roads, and residential areas formed an axially symmetrical layout; the reservoir symbolized the ocean surrounding Mount Meru, embodying religious cosmology, while maintaining the capacity for double-cropping in surrounding rice fields.
  4. 1431Angkor—Tonlé Sap basin · CambodiaAfter the capital was abandoned, baray maintenance ceased and some silted up; since the 20th century archaeology and remote sensing have remapped the Khmer hydraulic network, providing an important case for studying tropical agricultural civilizations.

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