Heritage site
Temple of Preah Vihear
The Temple of Preah Vihear (ប្រាសាទព្រះវិហារ, Prasat Preah Vihear) is a Khmer temple to Shiva on a clifftop in the Dângrêk Mountains of northern Cambodia.[1][2] Its sanctuaries rise along an 800-meter (2,600-foot) axis to the edge of a plateau above the Cambodian plain.[3]
History
The site's history goes back to the 9th century, when a hermitage was founded there.[1] Building of the first temple began in the early 9th century. It was dedicated to Shiva as Sikharesvara and Bhadresvara, gods of the mountain.[4] A Cambodian account credits the first temple to King Yasovarman I, who ruled from 889 to 910, and says it was begun in light materials and finished in stone by his successors.[2]
The oldest parts that survive date to the early 10th century, when Koh Ker was the Khmer capital.[4] Later work added features of the Banteay Srei, Khleang and Baphuon styles.[4] UNESCO dates the temple to the first half of the 11th century.[1] Most of it was built under King Suryavarman I (1006 to 1050) and King Suryavarman II (1113 to 1150).[4][5] Successive kings supported the temple and its religious life.[4] After Hindu worship declined in the region, the temple was turned to Buddhist use.[4]
In 1904, Siam and the French authorities then governing Cambodia formed a joint commission to set their border, largely along the watershed of the Dângrêk range. French officers drew a map of the border in 1907 that placed the temple in Cambodia.[4][6] Thailand relied on the watershed line, which would place the temple in Thailand.[5] After French troops left Cambodia in 1954, Thai forces occupied the temple, and in 1959 Cambodia asked the International Court of Justice (ICJ) to rule on it.[4]
On June 15, 1962, the ICJ ruled by nine votes to three that the temple stands on Cambodian territory. It found that Thailand had accepted the 1907 map, and by seven votes to five it ordered Thailand to return objects removed from the temple.[5][6] The 2008 World Heritage listing renewed the dispute, and border clashes around the temple took place from February to April 2011.[4][6] On November 11, 2013, the ICJ ruled that Cambodia has sovereignty over the whole promontory of Preah Vihear and that Thailand must withdraw its forces from it.[7][6] As of 2024, the area had been largely calm since 2013, though the dispute had not formally ended.[6]
Architecture and layout
The temple stands at the top of Poy Tadi, a steep cliff in the Dângrêk range, which forms the natural border between Cambodia and Thailand. It lies in Choam Khsant District of Preah Vihear Province, about 140 kilometers (87 miles) from Angkor Wat and 418 kilometers (260 miles) from Phnom Penh.[4] The province takes its name from the temple.[4]
Unlike most Khmer temples, which face east on a rectangular plan, Preah Vihear runs along a long north-south axis and faces the northern plains.[4] Pavements and staircases join its sanctuaries.[1] The sanctuary at the southern clifftop stands 120 meters (390 feet) above the northern end of the complex and 625 meters (2,050 feet) above sea level.[4] The plan is a stylized Mount Meru, the home of the gods, and serves the same purpose as the temple mountains of Angkor.[4]
Five gopuras, or gateways, divide the climb. They are numbered outward from the sanctuary. Each one marks a change in height and hides the next part of the temple from view, so the whole complex cannot be seen from any one point.[4] The fifth gateway is in the Koh Ker style, keeps traces of its red paint and has lost its tiled roof. The fourth dates from the Khleang and Baphuon periods. The third is the largest and has a hall on each side.[4] Two courtyards lead to the sanctuary, and the outer courtyard holds two libraries.[4]
Art and inscriptions
The southern outer pediment of the fourth gateway shows the Churning of the Sea of Milk, a central story in Hindu tradition.[4] An inscription records how King Suryavarman II studied sacred rites, held religious festivals and gave his aged spiritual adviser, the Brahmin Divakarapandita, gifts of white parasols, golden bowls and elephants.[4] Divakarapandita gave the temple a golden statue of Shiva dancing.[4][7]
Significance and conservation
UNESCO inscribed the Temple of Preah Vihear on the World Heritage List on July 7, 2008, under cultural criterion (i).[4][5] The listed property covers 154.7 hectares (382 acres), with a buffer zone of 2,642.5 hectares (6,530 acres).[4] UNESCO calls the temple an outstanding masterpiece of Khmer architecture for its plan, its decoration and its relationship to the spectacular landscape. It singles out the high quality of its carved stone and the way the buildings are adapted to the site and to their religious function.[1]
The site is particularly well preserved, mainly because it is remote.[3] UNESCO considers its buildings and materials authentic. It notes that the property's integrity is partly affected because part of the promontory lies outside its boundary. UNESCO finds the legal protection adequate and has asked for the management plan to be completed and approved.[3]
Visiting
As of 2015, the temple could be reached only from Cambodia.[5] Thailand's Khao Phra Wihan National Park borders the site.[5]
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 UNESCO World Heritage Centre
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Cambodian Information Center, A Khmer Heritage
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 whc.unesco.org, Temple of Preah Vihear (2020-07-06)
- ↑ 4.00 4.01 4.02 4.03 4.04 4.05 4.06 4.07 4.08 4.09 4.10 4.11 4.12 4.13 4.14 4.15 4.16 4.17 4.18 4.19 4.20 4.21 Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., Preah Vihear - Wikipedia (2005-08-03)
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 5.5 Wikipedia, Preah Vihear Temple
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 6.4 JSTOR Daily, A Postcolonial Preah Vihear (2024-11-12)
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 Cambodian Information Center, Prasat Preah Vihear