| Registration Classification | cultural heritage |
| Registration Criteria | (1) |
| Year of registration | 2008 |
Preah Vihear Temple, which means “sacred temple” in Khmer, is located on a 625-meter-high hill. It is a unique Buddhist temple like no other and a masterpiece of Khmer architecture.
Here, a World Heritage enthusiast explains why the Preah Vihear Temple is a World Heritage Site in an easy-to-understand manner.Read this and you will definitely learn more about the Preahvihear Temple!
What is temple of Preah Vihear? What is its history?
Preah Vihear Temple is located on the edge of the plateau on the border between Cambodia and Thailand. It was built during the Khmer Dynasty as a temple dedicated to Shiva. Unusually for Khmer Dynasty temple architecture, the temple was built along the north-south axis rather than facing east, and the temple is located on the south side of the 800 meter long site.
The temple seen today was reconstructed in the first half of the 11th century. The history of the Preah Vihear temple is complex. The temple itself dates back to the 9th century, when it was a Hindu temple.Later, it also became a Buddhist temple. There is a circumstance that it remained beautiful because it was located far from Angkor, the capital city. Since the temple is located at a high altitude, there are five tower gates on the approach that stretches from north to south, and the beautiful reliefs on the gates are masterpieces.
For what reason is the Preah Vihear Temple on the World Heritage List?
The Preah Vihear Temple was recognized for
Registration Criterion (i)
Maximum rating as a masterpiece of Khmer architecture.However, since part of the site is also considered to be on the Thai side, the other registration criteria were not accepted and only registration criterion (i) was applied.
Attribution issues surrounding the Preah Vihear temple
In fact, this land was designated as Cambodian territory in 1904 with the signing of a border demarcation treaty, but Thailand had been in effective control of the land since 1949. So, although the territory was recognized as Cambodian by the International Court of Justice in The Hague in 1962, part of the territory remained unsettled.
When the temple was registered as a World Heritage Site in 2008, only Cambodia was registered, which led to another clash, which subsided in 2013 when the International Court of Justice in The Hague recognized the temple as Cambodian territory. However, the territory was not named in the decision, and the question of ownership is still unresolved. Therefore, it is this territorial issue that ends up as the registration criterion (i).
World Heritage Mania Conclusions and Comments
There are only a few ruins in the world that are registered only under the registration criterion (i), so these ruins can be called masterpieces of humanity.In fact, before it was registered as a World Heritage site, the Preah Vihear Temple was a legendary site that was very beautiful, but difficult to get to. Although often mentioned in guidebooks, it was described as dangerous!and it was a site that travelers had longed to visit.
However, since the site became a World Heritage site, it has become easier to visit and more widely known than before. Of course, the Thai side has its own points to make, but I think both countries recognize the value of the ruins, and I hope that the issue of ownership will be resolved in a mutually satisfactory manner.
