Preah Vihear

Preah Vihear is unlike any other Khmer temple because of how it is laid out: instead of concentric enclosures around a centre, it runs in a single line for some eight hundred metres along a narrow spur of the Dangrek escarpment, rising through a sequence of causeways, staircases and five gopura pavilions, each framing the next, until it reaches the sanctuary at the very end. There the ground simply stops, and the cliff falls away several hundred metres to the Cambodian plain spread out below, which makes the final gateway one of the most dramatic pieces of siting in Southeast Asian architecture. Built and extended over the eleventh and twelfth centuries and dedicated to Shiva, it carries fine carved lintels and pediments. Its remoteness has always kept numbers low, and most visitors have the causeways largely to themselves.

History

Building on the site began in the early 9th century, when the temple was dedicated to Shiva as the mountain gods Sikharesvara and Bhadresvara; the oldest surviving parts date from the Koh Ker period of the early 10th century, but most of the temple was built under Suryavarman I (1006-1050) and Suryavarman II (1113-1150), and an inscription records Suryavarman II's gifts to his spiritual adviser, the aged Brahmin Divakarapandita, who in turn gave the temple a golden dancing Shiva. As Hinduism declined in the region the site passed to Buddhist use. In 1962, after a long dispute between Cambodia and Thailand over its ownership, the International Court of Justice ruled that the temple lies in Cambodia, and on 7 July 2008 it was listed as a World Heritage Site (Wikipedia, Preah Vihear Temple).

What you'll find

• The processional axis - the eight-hundred-metre line of causeways and gateways.
• The cliff sanctuary - the final courtyard at the edge of the escarpment.
• The view over the plain - hundreds of metres down from the cliff edge.
• The carved pediments - the sculpture on the successive gopura pavilions.

When to go

November to March is the dry season and best for the roads and the climb; the escarpment can be misty in the mornings, which is atmospheric but hides the view that many people come for. Going early gives the coolest walk along the exposed causeways.

Practical notes

It is genuinely remote, several hours from Siem Reap, and the last stretch up the escarpment is a very steep road covered by local pick-ups or motorbikes rather than your own vehicle. There is little shade on the long stone causeways and it gets extremely hot. Access arrangements and opening can change at short notice, so check locally the day before rather than relying on older information.

Nearby

Koh Ker lies to the south; Sra Em is the base town with accommodation.

Key facts