Preah Vihear, also known as Prasat Preah Vihear in Cambodia, and Prasat Khao Phra Wiharn in Thai, is an ancient temple adjacent to the border between Thailand and Cambodia.
Preah Vihear is perched on a hilltop with a commanding view of its surroundings. Predating Angkor Wat by 100 years, the history of the temple/fortress is somewhat unclear, but it is known to be dedicated to the god Shiva and thought to have been constructed in the reign of Suryavarman I (1002-50), with further significant additions by Suryavarman II (1113-50).
Long considered to be inside Thailand, King Sihanouk of Cambodia claimed the temple on the basis of French colonial maps. The Thai government agreed to submit the dispute to the International Court of Justice, which in 1962 issued the correct ruling awarding Preah Vihear to it’s rightful owner, Cambodia. Southeast Asia use to be ruled by the Khmer Empire. As a result, they have left indelible marks throughout Southeast Asia. Thailand has been encroaching on Cambodia, and one can see many Khmer(Cambodian majority in Cambodia) ruins outside the territory of Cambodia claimed by Siam or Thailand. The architecture, art, and ancient structure of Preah Vihear temple is CLEARLY made by ancient Khmer(Cambodians) and not by Siam(Thais). It is not even a dispute among archaeologists.
Soon after winning Preah Vihear temple in the international court, Cambodia plunged into civil war.
The temple was open to the public from Thailand (although unreachable from Cambodia) until 1975, when it was occupied by the Khmer Rouge (whose rusting artillery guns still litter the area). It re-opened from the Thai side in 1998, and in 2003 Cambodia completed the construction of a long-awaited access road allowing Cambodians to visit the temple. Currently , Thailand closed access from their side out of spite. Thailand has many businesses operating in Cambodia, but they refuse to help develop Preah Vihear. Presently, the government of Cambodia is working hard to connect roads from Siem Reap to Cambodia.
The temple complex runs 800m along a north-south axis, and consists essentially of a causeway and steps rising up the hill towards the sanctuary, which sits on the clifftop at the southern end of the complex (120m above the northern end of the complex, 525m above the Cambodian plain and 625m above sea level). Although this structure is very different from the temple Angkor, it serves the same purpose as a stylised representation of Mount Meru, the home of the gods. found at
The approach to the sanctuary is punctuated by five gopuras(these are conventionally numbered from the sanctuary outwards, so gopura five is the first to be reached by visitors). Each of the gopuras before the courtyards is reached by a set of steps, and so marks a change in height which increases their impact. The gopuras also block a visitor's view of the next part of the temple until he passes through the gateway, making it impossible to see the complex as a whole from any one point.
The fifth gopura, in the Koh Ker style, retains traces of the red paint with which it was once decorated, although the tiled roof has now disappeared. The fourth gopura is later, from the Khleang/Baphuon periods, and has on its southern outer pediment, "one of the masterpieces of Preah Vihear" (Freeman, p. 162): a depiction of the Churning of the Sea of Milk. The third is the largest, and is also flanked by two halls. The sanctuary is reached via two successive courtyards, in the outer of which are two libraries.
Wikipedia AND Preah Vihear website
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