An important place of pilgrimage during the Angkorian period, Prasat Preah Vihear was built by a succession of seven Khmer monarchs, beginning with Yasovarman I (r 889–910) and ending with Suryavarman II (r 1112–1152). Like other temple-mountains from this period, it was designed to represent Mt Meru and dedicated to the Hindu deity Shiva.
The temple is laid out along a north–south processional axis with five cruciform gopura (pavilions), decorated with exquisite carvings, separated by esplanades up to 275m long.
From the parking area, walk up the hill to toppled and crumbling Gopura V at the north end of the temple complex. From here, the grey-sandstone Monumental Stairway leads down to the Thai border. Back when the temple was open from the Thai side, this stairway was how most tourists entered the temple complex. Thailand claims that this part of the temple is theirs. That Gopura V appears on both the 50,000r and 2000r banknotes is an emphatic statement that Cambodia disagrees.
East of Gopura V, you'll see a set of stairs dropping off into the abyss. This is the 1800m Eastern Stairway . Used for centuries by pilgrims climbing up from Cambodia’s northern plains, it was recently de-mined, rebuilt as a 2242-step wooden staircase and reopened.
Walking south up the slope from Gopura V, the next pavilion you get to is Gopura IV . On the pediment above the southern door, look for an early rendition of the Churning of the Ocean of Milk, a theme later depicted awesomely at Angkor Wat.
In Gopura I the galleries, with their inward-looking windows, are in a remarkably good state of repair, but the Central Sanctuary is just a pile of rubble. Outside, the cliff affords stupendous views of Cambodia’s northern plains, with the holy mountain of Phnom Kulen (487m) looming in the distance. This is a fantastic spot for a picnic.
The best guidebook to Prasat Preah Vihear’s architecture and carvings is Preah Vihear by Vittorio Roveda (published 2010). These days it may be hard to find in Cambodia, as it was published in Thailand and the text is in English and Thai.
