Prasat Preah Vihear
| Prasat Preah Vihear | |
|---|---|
UNESCO world heritage 
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| National territory: |
 Cambodia
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| Type: | Culture |
| Criteria : | i |
| Surface: | 154.7 ha |
| Buffer zone: | 2,642.5 ha |
| Reference No .: | 1224 |
| UNESCO region : | Asia and Pacific |
| History of enrollment | |
| Enrollment: | 2008 (session 32) |
Preah Vihear Temple ( Rouge ប្រាសាទព្រះវិហារ , Thai ปราสาท พระ วิหาร , RTGS : prasat Pra wihan) is a Hindu temple of Rouge from the 10th to 12th century. It stands on the 525 meter high rocky hill Pey Tadi in the Dongrek Mountains , whose watershed forms the border between the Thai province of Si Sa Ket and the Cambodian province of Preah Vihear . For decades, the facility has been at the center of a border conflict, some of which was violent . In 2008 the temple was registered as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO .
Naming
The Preah Vihear is called Prasat Phra Wihan ( ปราสาท พระ วิหาร ) or Prasat Khao Phra Wihan ( ปราสาท เขา พระ วิหาร ) from the Thai side . Prasat has the same meaning in Khmer and Thai ("castle" or "temple"), Khao is the Thai word for "hill" or "mountain" (in Khmer: "Phnom"). The words "Phra" ( พระ ) and "Preah" both mean "holy"; " Wihan " ( วิหาร ) and "Vihear" both designate a Buddhist monastery building. Both versions of the name have a high political and national significance (see below under border disputes ).
General
The temple gives the Cambodian province of Preah Vihear its name. On the Thai side, there is the Khao Phra Wihan National Park in the province of Si Sa Ket, through which the temple is most easily accessible. The temple offers a spectacular view over the plain to the south. It was a key structure of the Khmer kingdom and was promoted and expanded by many kings. So it bears features of different architectural styles. Preah Vihear is unusual among Khmer temples in that it is built along a north-south axis, as opposed to the usual rectangular plan with an orientation to the east. An 800 meter long ascent ends at a sanctuary over an 80 meter high steep slope. The temple area uses the topographical conditions: the natural "temple mount" rises gradually. Stairs, through gopuram , on streets lined with steles and courtyards lead to the platform on which the sanctuary stands. It is surrounded by a rectangular gallery that is open inwards and is flanked on the right and left by two separate buildings.
Building history
There is no definite knowledge of when the temple of Preah Vihear was built. Based on the different architectural styles, one suspects that King Yasovarman I (ruled 889–910) was the builder. According to the French historian Claude Jacques, the temple could possibly have been founded by a son of King Jayavarman II (ruled 802-850). Over the next 300 years, Preah Vihear was repeatedly restored and expanded by the kings. After the reign of King Suryavarman II (ruled 1113–1150) no further additions or repairs were made.
The importance of this structure stems from centuries of support from the Khmer kings, which contrasts with the normal Khmer practice of abandoning temples after the king who built it died. After the end of the reign of Suryavarman II, however, Preah Vihear was also neglected and probably only used by people from the immediate vicinity.
use
The Preah Vihear Temple was dedicated to the Hindu god Shiva , in the main shrine there was a lingam called Bhadeshvara Linga . It was originally planned as a hermitage, which historians conclude from the fact that although you can enjoy a breathtaking view of Cambodia from the mountain, none of the temple complex's buildings have windows facing south. One climbed the mountain to find peace for meditation, not to enjoy the view.
Numerous inscriptions suggest that the temple later became a destination for pilgrimages. Khmer pilgrims made the long journey on foot from Yasodharapura, the first city of the Angkor Empire around the Phnom Bakheng , through the plain of the Tonle Sap Lake , until they then arrived at the foot of the Dongrek Mountains, where a rest stop with a baray (water reservoir) was located. From there kings had a staircase about ten meters wide carved into the rock, via which one could then reach the temple at the level of the first gopuram.
Reliefs
Although most of the temple is in ruins, some triangular pediments and lintels have remained intact. A typical triangular gable consists of the tympanum , which is framed by an arch. A rich vegetation is depicted on the arch, its ends depict multiple, upright heads of Nagas . There are two different types of triangular gables in Khmer buildings: those with overflowing plant tendrils, in the middle of which a small deity is depicted over a demon, and those with large depictions of scenes from Hindu mythology . Below the triangular gable are lintels , which are often also decorated with mythological scenes or with plant tendrils that spring from the mouth of a lion-headed demon (Kala or Rahu ).
Most of the lintels and gables in Preah Vihear were made in the late 10th or early 11th century. They are comparable to similar reliefs in Prasat Mueang Tam (in present-day Thailand) and Banteay Srei , which were built during this period. Although Preah Vihear is dedicated to the Hindu god Shiva, myths are mainly represented with Vishnu , most of them come from the Mahabharata and deal with Krishna , an incarnation of Vishnu. Another Hindu epic, the Ramayana does not seem to be represented here anywhere. On many tympana the protagonist is depicted under a huge tree, even the colossal triangular mass of a relief on the third gopuram, which Krishna lifts seemingly effortlessly with his little finger, resembles a tree more than the mountain Govardhana, which it is supposed to represent. The emphasis on large trees is rather uncommon in Khmer iconography, but it may be a local quirk. Freestanding sculptures cannot be found in Preah Vihear.
Border disputes with Thailand
→ Main article: Border conflict over Prasat Preah Vihear
After Cambodia became independent from the French colonial power in 1953, the temple complex was occupied by Thai troops. The Cambodian government then called the International Court of Justice in The Hague, which ruled in 1962 that the Preah Vihear Temple belongs to Cambodia. The dispute flared up again when the Cambodian government applied in 2008 to include the temple complex on the UNESCO World Heritage List . The application was also granted and the temple was recognized as a Cambodian World Heritage Site. This caused some angry protests in Thailand. There have been several shootings between the armed forces of the two countries in the border area, which also resulted in deaths. In 2003, the Thai embassy in Phnom Penh was burned down by an incited crowd after rumors spread that Thailand was again claiming the temple.
Ultimately, the dispute over the temple goes much deeper and is based on the historical relationship between the two nations. In the past, large parts of what is now Thailand were under the rule of the Khmer kings, until the balance of power was later reversed, so that today many important Khmer temples are located on Thai national territory.
literature
- Aurel Croissant , Paul W. Chambers: A Contested Site of Memory. The Preah Vihear Temple. In: Cultures and Globalization. Heritage, Memory and Identity. SAGE, 2011, pp. 148-156.
- Brigitta Hauser-Schäublin: Preah Vihear. From Object of Colonial Desire to a Contested World Heritage Site. In: World Heritage Angkor and Beyond. Circumstances and Implications of UNESCO Listings in Cambodia. Universitätsverlag Göttingen, 2011, pp. 33–56.
- Vittorio Roveda: Preah Vihear - ปราสาท เขา พระ วิหาร . River Books, Bangkok 2000, ISBN 974-8225-25-9
- Tim Williams: The Curious Tale of Preah Vihear. The Process and Value of World Heritage Nomination. In: Conservation and Management of Archaeological Sites , Volume 13, No. 1, 2011, pp. 1-7.
Web links
- Entry on the UNESCO World Heritage Center website ( English and French ).
- Case Concerning the Temple of Preah Vihear - The Hague International Court of Justice
- The Thai's Unique View Of The Khmer People And History - Article by a Khmer from the Phnom Penh Post, Issue 8/19, September 17-30, 1999
Individual evidence
- ^ C. Jacques, M. Freeman: Angkor: Cities and Temples . River Books, Bangkok 1997, ISBN 974-8225-15-1
- ↑ Dispute between Cambodia and Thailand Who Owns the Khmer Temple? ( Memento from April 6, 2009 in the Internet Archive ), tagesschau.de, message from June 21, 2008, accessed on April 3, 2009
- ^ Border conflict between Thailand and Cambodia Bloody dispute over five kilometers of jungle ( memento from October 18, 2008 in the Internet Archive ), tagesschau.de, message from October 15, 2008, accessed on April 3, 2009
Coordinates: 14 ° 23 ′ 46 ″ N , 104 ° 40 ′ 49 ″ E
Heritage: Angkor (1992) | Preah Vihear Temple (2008) | Sambor Prei Kuk (2017)