kingdom · Mainland Southeast Asia

Land Chenla

707 CE – 802 CE (approx.)

The northern, inland half of the Khmer kingdom of Chenla after its split in the early 8th century, known only from Chinese records.

Origins

Chinese sources report that around 707 Chenla divided into two parts: a northern Land Chenla, Lu Zhenla, also called Wendan, which lay in the uplands of the middle Mekong in what is now southern Laos and north-east Thailand, and a southern Water Chenla nearer the delta.

Rule and society

Land Chenla appears more stable and unified than its southern counterpart. It sent embassies to the Tang court in the 8th century, including one led by a royal heir in 753 who joined Tang forces against Nanzhao. Its people were Khmer-speaking, and Shaivite temples and Sanskrit inscriptions of the period are found in the Wat Phu and Mun river region.

Decline and legacy

Land Chenla's fate after the late 8th century is unclear. Its territories were absorbed into the Khmer Empire after Jayavarman II proclaimed his rule in 802, and many historians doubt that the Chinese division matched clear political boundaries.

Few sources survive for this state; details are uncertain.

Lineage

Chenla 550 CE – 802 CELand ChenlaKhmer Empire 802 CE – 1431 CE

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Cite this page
APA
The Epoch Institute. (2026). Land Chenla. In The Epoch Institute States Register. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/land-chenla
MLA
“Land Chenla.” The Epoch Institute States Register, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/land-chenla. Accessed .
Chicago
The Epoch Institute. “Land Chenla.” The Epoch Institute States Register. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/land-chenla.
Harvard
The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Land Chenla’, The Epoch Institute States Register. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/land-chenla (Accessed: ).

Last reviewed October 2026Random state ↻