TEMPLE OF PREAH VIHEAR

A few years ago, access to the region was quite difficult, but the Cambodian government has made great efforts to open up the province, and today, one can access the Choam Khsant district - and thus the temple - very easily. The region is nevertheless at the northern edge of the country, and therefore requires a special trip. If you are interested in archaeology you will not regret it.

The temple of Preah Vihear, which gives its name to the province where it is located, is situated at the top of a hill in the Dangrek range, which marks the border between Thailand and Cambodia. The temple is original in that it was built on a rectangular plan stretching from north to south for nearly 800 m long, and not on an almost square plan oriented east-west like most Khmer temples (one of the reasons why the site was classified in 2008 as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO). The construction of the temple began in the early ninth century, a hundred years before the Angkor complex. The temple was Hindu and dedicated to Shiva. Today, the oldest elements preserved on the site date back to the 10th century, the Koh Ker period. The construction of the temple continued until the 12th century, so that specialists have identified in its remains elements that can be linked to different styles, the most famous element being a bas-relief illustrating the churning of the Sea of Milk on the pedestal of the fourth gopura. For the record, the kings who worked on the construction of the sanctuary are, in chronological order: Yaçovarman I, Suryavarman I and Suryavarman II especially, and finally Jayavarman VI. The bas-reliefs on the false columns that adorn the entrances, as well as those on the pediments, are beautifully crafted and of great finesse. The windows are decorated with carved columns similar to those seen in Angkor or Koh Ker. The statues of lions that guard the entrances as well as the heads of naga that decorate the beginning of the balustrades are, them, seriously damaged. Once you reach the end of the temple, perched on the cliff at 525 m, you have a superb view of the Khmer plain. If you arrive early in the morning, you will be able to visit the temple in the middle of the clouds, which will rise gradually to reveal this grandiose panorama... A visit that is certainly demanding in terms of transportation and steps to climb (2,700), but that will delight the most curious of travelers