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Photo: Preah Vihear Temple at Dangrek Mountains
Located near the
Cambodia and Thailand border in Preah Vihear
province, the magnificent Preah Vihear Temple is
housed at the midsection of the Dangrek
Mountains. Perched on a hilltop roughly six
hundred meters above sea level, the view across
the plains of northern Cambodia is definitely
magnificent. Prasat Preah Vihear was originally
built by King Yasovarman I and further
significant additions can be found until to the
reign of Suryavarman II. This temple was built
specially for Lord Shiva and what started out as
a small sanctuary became one of the grandest
Khmer temples after the various structures built
during the different reign of kings merged to
become a magical home of the gods.
Due to its
location, its ownership has always been disputed
between Cambodia and Thailand until the
International Court of Justice ruled in
Cambodia's favor. Two most frequently used way
to get here is via Anlong Veng from Siem Reap or
via Tbeng Meanchey from Phnom Penh. Cambodia
government also allows visa-free day trips to
tourists coming in from Thailand. Its major
drawcard here is that the carvings depicted on
the temples show the highest standard of unique
Khmer architecture.
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