Preah Vihear Temple

News: Fresh clashes erupted again between Thailand and Cambodia along their border for Preah Vihear Temple, marking the most violent escalation in over a decade.

About Preah Vihear Temple

• Location: The temple is located in Preah Vihear province, set on top of a 1,722 feet cliff in the Dangrek Mountains in Cambodia.
  • The mountains are a natural border between Cambodia and Thailand.
• Chief deity: It is a temple dedicated to lord Shiva.
• Name: The name means “Sacred Sanctuary” in Khmer.
• Architecture
  • The temple dates back to the 9th century, built during the reign of the Khmer Empire.
  • The temple is counted among the most unusual among Khmer temples because of its construction along a long north–south axis.
  • The temple is not built in the conventional rectangular format which generally faces toward the east.
  • The series of connected buildings, paths, and staircases along an 800-metre stretch are simply breathtaking.
• History of dispute over the ownership of the temple
  • Dispute: The temple has been the centre of dispute between Thailand and Cambodia for a long time now.
  • In 1962, Cambodia and Thailand fought for the over ownership of the temple.
  • But the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in the Hague said that the temple belongs to Cambodia.
• Recognition:
  • The Temple joined the prestigious list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites on 7 July 2008.
  • Soon after this, the dispute between Cambodia and Thailand over the temple, once again started but this time too ICJ passed the judgement in favour of Cambodia in 2013.