In a multi-year project, an international team of scientists used airborne laser scanning and ground surveys to map the ancient city of Mahendraparvata, also known as Mount Indra (meaning king of the gods).
Mahendraparvata was one of the first capitals of the Khmer Empire, lasting from the 9th to the 14th century AD, but much of what is known about the city is from inscriptions recovered from various sites. Scientists have theorized that the city was located on the Phnom Kulen plateau, about 30 miles north of Siem Reap province, but have had difficulty finding definitive evidence. The plateau is remote, inaccessible, covered in dense vegetation and riddled with landmines planted by the Khmer Rouge regime in the 1970s.
After centuries of neglect, Mahendraparvata was known only as the “lost city”. Now, scientists claim they have located it.
"We confirm the hypothesis, based on a large body of evidence, that Mahendraparvata, the eighth- to ninth-century capital of the Khmer Empire, was located on the Phnom Kulen plateau," the report, published in the journal Antiquity, said.
The researchers used airborne laser scanning technology that has “the unique ability to see through vegetation and provide high-resolution models of the forest floor,” according to the paper.
Scientists had to map the area in two stages, the first in 2012, covering about 37 km2and again in 2015, covering the entire mountain range, an area of 975 km2.
The results of the aerial mapping, along with information gathered during field investigations, were used to create a map showing the major pathways and newly discovered coordinate axes. The map details the locations of features such as an unfinished reservoir, several dams, temple walls, and even a palace.
These discoveries open up opportunities to learn more about the Khmer Empire and the Angkor region. Maps show the city had urban planning, a “sophisticated hydraulic system” and other innovative constructions, the report said.
One striking finding is that the city was built on linear axes that roughly correspond to the cardinal directions on the compass.
Before that period, human settlements in the area were not formally planned, had no clear boundaries, and appeared to have developed spontaneously, meaning Mahendraparvata was the first major planned city of the Khmer Empire.
