preah vihear temple for 25 July 2025

Preah Vihear Temple Latest News

Fighter jets, landmines, and diplomatic expulsions marked the sharpest escalation in tensions between Thailand and Cambodia in years over a dispute that stretches back over a century, and at the centre of it lies the 11th-century Preah Vihear Hindu temple.

About Preah Vihear Temple

• It is a Hindu temple located in the Preah Vihear Province, in the northern part of Cambodia.
• It is located atop a cliff on the Cambodia–Thailand border in the Dangrek Mountain range .
• It is dedicated to Lord Shiva. 
• It was built primarily during the golden period of the Khmer Empire, in the eleventh and twelfth centuries.
• It was built firstly by King Suryavarman I (1002-50) and then expanded upon by Suryavarman II (1113-50).
• It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Preah Vihear Temple Architecture

• It is an outstanding masterpiece of Khmer architecture.
• The temple is composed of a series of sanctuaries linked by a system of pavements and staircases over an 800-metre-long axis.
• It features more than five successive gopuras. 
• Unlike other structures of this kind, the gopuras here are connected by a long path and topped with multi-tiered platforms. 
• Each gopura has a small staircase. Some of these gopuras have stone roofs, while others have wooden roofs, many of which are in ruins. 

Preah Vihear Temple Dispute

• Preah Vihear Temple is the subject of a long-running territorial dispute between Thailand and Cambodia. 
• In 1962, the International Court of Justice ruled that it belonged to Cambodia.
• However, Thailand has maintained that the land surrounding the temple — especially a 4.6 sq.km. patch —remains unresolved. 
• Tensions escalated again in 2008 after Cambodia succeeded in registering Preah Vihear as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. 
• Thai nationalists objected, and skirmishes broke out, culminating in a deadly exchange in 2011 that killed at least 15 people.
• The ICJ reaffirmed its ruling in 2013, this time declaring that the surrounding land was also Cambodian — a decision that still stings in Bangkok.

Source: TOI