Preah Vihear

Built in the 12th century located between Thailand and Cambodia. It was listed as World Heritage Site on 7th July 2008.

Preah Vihear temple is 108km from provincial town of Preah Vihear. 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. Lying out on an 800 meters 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 meters 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 follow:

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 Shiva.

Spiritual development, increased political power and economic growth were factors that inspired the Khmer kings to the architectural imagination. It took more than 300 years to construct the whole temple during the reigns 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 magical home of gods.

King’s residence
The king has a residence at Preah Vihear where he would pay homage to the mighty God. The residence has two wings, which were probably shelters for pilgrims. The main temples were used to worship high-ranking supreme divinities, and this mighty group of buildings represents the center of the temple complex. 

The Naga Courtyard
The paved courtyard is 7m wide by 31.8m long. From here, a stairway leads up to the first level Gopura. The stairheads are in the form of seven-headed snakes and these faces north towards the Prasat (tower). The heads and tails of the nagas on both sides look like ordinary snakes, and characterize an early example of this type of sculpture. The head portion of the naga on the west side is impressive because it is carved from a single, solid stone.

The First Level Gopura
This pavilion looks Greek in its architectural style and has an elevated cross-plan, rebates and triangular lintels over its doorways. There are also stone lions at each doorway.

The Front Stairway
This is the main passage is on the north side. The stairway is 8m wide and 78m long. The first flight has 162 steps, and at the first landing, there is a large stone lion statue on a stone block. Another flight of 54 steps is 4m wide and 27m long, and leads up to the second landing, which also has a stone lion statue.