Cambodia: Buddhist monks at Preah Vihear, an ancient Khmer temple on the Cambodia-Thailand border

Set high on a cliff on the edge of the Dongrak Mountains overlooking Cambodia, Preah Vihear (known to the Thais as Khao Phra Viharn) is remarkable both for its outstanding Khmer architecture and for its stunning location.

Long claimed by both Thailand and Cambodia, the temple complex was finally awarded to the latter by the World Court in 1963, though the question of ownership still irks many Thais.

Preah Vihear took around 200 years to build, starting during the reign of Rajendravarman II in the mid-10th century and reaching completion in the early 12th century during the reign of Suryavarman II, the founder of Angkor Wat.

Constructed in the Baphuon and early Angkor styles, Preah Vihear was built originally as a Hindu temple dedicated to the god Shiva.

Copyright:

CPA Media Co. Ltd.

Photographer:

David Henley

Credit:

Pictures From Asia