Preah Vihear Temple

Preah Vihear Temple
© UNESCO/Alison Clayson
The Preah Vihear Temple is a Khmer Hindu temple situated atop a 525-meter cliff in the Dângrêk Mountains. The temple complex runs 800m along a north-south axis. It was built mainly during the 11th and 12th centuries during the reigns of the kings Suryavarman I (and Suryavarman II.

Ownership of the temple by Cambodia has been under dispute from neighbouring Thailand. In 1962 the International Court of Justice in the Hague ruled that it belonged to Cambodia.

Year Decision Comments
2008 Inscribed Reasons for inscription
2007ReferredWHC recognizes its significance and will formally inscribe in 2008 if an appropriate management plan has been developed.

Reviews

Vanna Romee (Canada):
I just came back from Cambodia last week and I visited Preah Vihear Temple and I found the temple is so beautiful; the temple is located on the beauty natural mountain. It’s hard to believe that the Khmer can bring up so many stones and built such a stunning temple on top of the mountain. The access road from Thailand to visit the Khmer temple in Cambodia still remains closed. To say that there is only one easy access road from Thailand to visit Preah Vihear Temple in Cambodia is totally wrong.
There are three access roads from Cambodia side. One was built by HM King Norodom Sihanouk when the King went to pay his respect to his Khmer ancestors who built the temple after the ICJ granted Preah Vihear belonging to Cambodia. Second one was built by the KR during war. Third one was built by Governor Chea Sophearath.
I took King Sihanouk road because I liked to see the natural beauty of the mountain on the way up to see the beauty temple on the top.
The original access road of the temple is by the Thailand side, because when the Khmer
Kings built Preah Vihear Temple; Thailand wasn’t there in that time. The Khmer Kings ruled SEA when Thai people still living in Nanchao, China.

Thailand sent Thai troops to invade Preah Vihear Temple and launched its rocket damaging the Giant Naga Statue at Preah Vihear Temple. Thailand never built the stone temple so Thailand can’t understand the value of the Khmer temple. I hope Thailand one day can understand the value of the Khmer temple and stop its aggression and try to live in harmony with Cambodia and let the UNESCO taking care of the Khmer temple so many people around the world can come to visit the beauty of the world heritage in Cambodia by passing from the Cambodia side or passing from the Thailand side.
Date posted: March 2009
Frederik Dawson (Netherlands):
The really hot and most disputed issue in WHC 32nd session in Quebec clearly was the nomination of Preah Vihear Temple arising from the controversial judgment of International Court of Justice in 1962 and unclear border demarcation between Cambodia and Thailand. From this dispute, I believed many people might question how special of this temple to be listed as world heritage site.

During my 2007 trip to Southern Laos and Northeastern Thailand, I had opportunity to visit almost all important ancient Khmer temples in this region, and I had to say that Preah Vihear was a crème de la crème of my trip. Situated on the high cliff making the temple looked quite stunning; however it was not the location that took your breath away, it was the amazing quality of stone craving of this temple that easily made this temple to be on the prestigious list of UNESCO.

My guide explained that for ancient Khmer art, the stone carving style of the Temple of Banteay Srei, part of Angkor, was considered the most beautiful of its kind and there was only one place on earth that built in the same style and that was Preah Vihear, so I was not surprised why this temple was so beautiful even partial in ruins. My favorite part of the temple were the third and forth gopura halls, the third hall stone craving was exceptionally intricacy and beautiful, while the forth hall was like floating in the sky as it was built on the top of the hill.

So I highly recommended visiting this temple. It was very easy to visit from Thailand side, but I heard it was quite complicate to visit from Cambodia, but try to visit it if you can; it was truly a worthwhile experience. My hope is one day Thailand will nominate its part of the temple complex to make this impressive temple to be fully completed as the idea of world heritage is to protect the outstanding work of humankind over politic and territory issue.
Date posted: July 2008


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