The long lost ‘ancient city’ of Khmer Empire found in Cambodia

A huge discovery was recently made during aerial mapping in Cambodia, and has left the world surprised. A long lost, ancient city of the famous Khmer Empire (officially known as the Angkor Empire) was found in the deep dark jungles of Cambodia after being hidden for hundreds of years!
A group of international scientists working on a project for years, used latest technologies such as aerial laser scans and ground-based surveying to map the Mountain of Indra, Mahendraparvata. In Hindu mythology, Indra is known as the King of the Gods.

Mahendraparvata is believed to be one of the first capitals in the Khmer Empire that survived between the 9th and 15th centuries AD. According to the scientist’s theories, the city was set on the Phnom Kulen plateau, which is nearly 48 km north of Siem Reap. But the dark jungle made it impossible to find the plateau. Also, the region is believed to be home to landmines that were installed by the Khmer Rouge regime during the 1970s.
Scientists, in the year 2012, mapped the region (covering about 37 sq km) by using laser scanners from aeroplanes and managed to get an incomplete picture of Mahendraparvata. They came back in 2015 and covered the whole mountain range, which was spread across an area of 975 sq km.

The team found Mahendraparvata in a grid with raised embankments; each square of the grid features traces of buildings, temples and palaces. The inscriptions found there identifies Jayavarman II from AD 802 as the first ruler of the Khmer Empire. The ruler had announced himself the universal monarch. According to the scientists, the dates of the era from which all these structures belong is still not clear so their next step is to try to date all of this.