Preah Vihear Province

The Preah Vihear temple is located slightly east of the midsection of the mountain range of Dangrek. It is also perched on the edge of a giant cliff, 625 meters above sea level, in the northern part of Preah Vihear Province, Kingdom of Cambodia. Lying out on an 800-meter north-south axis, the Preah Vihear complex has a single imposing approach, leading up through a series of five towered entrance pavilions connected by causeways and 120-meter-long steps. Stunningly sitting at the top of the Preah Vihear temple, the main sanctuary is surrounded by libraries and other structures.

Its history is mentioned as follows:
In the 9th century, Khmer King Yasovarman I (889-900) originally began work on the construction of a small sanctuary then named Sekharesvara” Lord of Summit” and dedicated to Siva.



Spiritual development, increased political power and economic growth were factors that inspired the Khmer king to the architectural imagination. It took more than 300 years to construct the whole temple during the reigns of Subsequent kings-Suryavarman I (1002-1050), Jayavarman VI (1080-1107), and Suryavarman II (1113-1150) in the various structures that merged into a homogeneous Hindu universe called a magical home of gods.

As a result of its finest carvings in situ found there, the Preah Vihear Temple was officially declared a world Heritage Site on July 7, 2008 by the 21-Nation World Heritage Committee of the UNESCO in Quebec City, Canada. This historic Victory is achieved from the energetic efforts of the Royal Government of Cambodia under the brilliant ant wise leadership of Samdech Akka Moha Sena Padei Decho Hun Sen, Prime Minister of the kingdom of Cambodia.

What can seen in Preah Vihear Temple

The temple has four levels and four courtyards which comprise of five Gopuras ( entrance pavilions some times surmounted by tower )

Palace Building or Gopuras on the third level.

This group of building was the King’s residence when he came to pay homage to the mighty God , and the two wings were the shelters for the pilgrims. The main temple are used for the high-ranking supreme divinities, this mighty group of building is considered as the center of the whole temple complex. 

The front stone stairway : this main passage is on the North side. The stairway is 8 meters wide and 78 meters long,. The fist flight has 162 steps. At the first landing is a large stone singa statue on stone block. Another 54 flight of steps 4 meters wide and 27 meters long leads up to the second landing also decorated with stone signa statue.

The Nagaraj Courtyard : this stone-paved is 7 meters wide by 31.8 meters long. From here the stairway leads up to the first-level Gropura. The Stairheads are in the form of seven-headed snakes called "Ngu Suang " facing North towards the Prasat. The heads and tails of nagas on both sides look like ordinary snakes, characterizing and early example of this type of animal figures. The head portion of the naga on the west side looks very impressive because it is made from a single solid stone.

The first level Gopura : this is a pavilion in Greek architecture style with cross plan on an elevated, rebates angle base on each of the roof doorway . Stone lions are placed on each of the roofs dooeway.

Accessibility to the Temple

The temple can be reached by crossing the Cambodia-Thai gateway border from the Ubon Ratchantani Province of Thailand. Currently the visits are from 8.00 till 16.00 hours.

The Grandeur of its site

For all the grandeur of its site, perched on the edge of a giant cliff and with a commanding view over northern Cambodia, Preah Vihear is difficult to visualize as a whole. The experience is truly a memorable one – the series of ascents over the best part of a kilometer, the ornate Gopuras and the wealth of decorative detail truly staggers one’s imagination.