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Shrestrapura, the Ancient City, was built and occupied in the 5th
through 7th centuries and is believed to have been the capital of
the early Khmer kingdom known as Chenla. Shrestrapura (literally
"city of King Shrestravarman") is named for the founder of first
ruling dynasty of Chenla. Shrestrapura lies on the western bank
of the Mekong River. It was originally surrounded on three sides
by a rectangular, double earthen wall, measuring approximately
2.4 km by 1.8 km. It was about 14 metres wide at the base and
very tall. Some of the sections of the wall that can easily be seen
today measure 6 metres high. Much of the north side of the wall
has been eroded away by the Huay Sahoua while the Mekong
River is eroding the eastern side of the City.
Shrestrapura and Lingapura could be considered "lost cities"
because they were known only from inscriptions and literary
evidence until recent archaeological survey work rediscovered them.
Today, the cities are almost completely buried under rice fields
and villages except for the lumps and bumps in the plain which
cover the remains of their principal structures. Beneath them may
be temples, ponds, baray, or other structures, all built of brick.
They survived because the way of life has changed little in the
past 1000 years and the traditional agriculture does not disturb
the deep layers of the soil.
These sites are very significant because they represent some of
the earliest known and studied urban sites in Southeast Asia. By
studying the area, we can learn a lot about the way the people of
these ancient cities lived, what they believed, and why they
designed the cities the way they did.
 | | The inscriptions on the Devanika Stele provided
a major clue to the identification of the Ancient
City as Shrestrapura, corroborated through
recent archaeological survey work. |
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