A closer look

The entrance to the southern goura at Prasat Ta Muen Thom

I was elated to visit Prasat Ta Muen Thom, a temple which virtually straddles the Cambodian-Thai border and which the two countries dispute ownership, last October whilst touring Isaan, but at the same time, devastated by the destruction that had taken place, robbing the temple of all of its carvings and sculptures, leaving just a shell of its original form. Built in the 11th century and reconstructed by the Thai art department in the 1990s, the temple unusually faces south and was located on a royal road that passed through the Dangrek mountains in the dim and distant past. The southern gopura greets you after climbing the laterite steps that lead down to the Cambodian border. There are other buildings in sandstone and laterite, a collapsed central tower and a natural linga hewn out of the rock base in the center of the shrine. In fact, the temple was built on top of a natural rock platform and another interesting feature is a rock channel for draining the waters poured over the linga. There are also extensive surrounding galleries but it's the complete lack of lintels and pediments as well as the destroyed devata and dvarapalas to be found on the walls that are the most upsetting. For the time being the Thai Army are fully in control of the temple even though Cambodia lays claim to temple. It was Thai Rangers who were patrolling the site, fully armed, whilst a couple of Khmer soldiers had wandered over the border to exchange pleasantries and cigarettes with their Thai counterparts.

A secondary doorway into the central sanctuary

The northern entrance to the central sanctuary

A dvarapala male guardian has been destroyed by temple thieves

Inside the central sanctuary with a pedestal in situ

You can see the natural rock platform through this window

Natural sandstone lingas were hewn out of the rock base

Another view of the central shrine at Prasat Ta Muen Thom

A reconstructed tower that looks in remarkably good condition

The unusual rock channel that took water out of the central shrine

Another view of the natural rock platform on which the temple was built

Ta Muen in the news again

Thai Army Rangers on patrol around the perimeter of Prasat Ta Muen Thom

The ill-advised visit by Cambodian PM Hun Sen to Prasat Ta Muen Thom didn't take place yesterday afterall. The suggestion was that after giving a rousing speech at Preah Vihear, he was going to head further west and visit the 11th century Ta Muen Thom, another temple which Cambodia and Thailand are disputing ownership over. When I visited the temple last October there was no dispute. The Thai Army Rangers were firmly in control conducting armed patrols throughout the temple site and only allowing Cambodian troops to enter if they were unarmed. Whilst it was good to see troops from both sides enjoying some friendly banter and exchanging cigarettes, the Thais hold the upper hand and if Hun Sen or anyone thinks they are going to move out anytime soon, then think again. Don't they say possession is 9/10ths of the law? Whilst a new road has been paved up to the temple area on the Cambodian side, you will have to cross the border-line and walk through a small wooden gate before entering the temple compound itself, all under the beady watch of Thai Rangers. Whether access is available on the day you visit from the Cambodian side will depend on the generosity of the Thai troops in control. Here are some of my photos from my visit to Prasat Ta Muen Thom, with more to follow. You can see some of the destruction wrought on the temple in a previous post here. It's heartbreaking.

The Thai Ranger on top of the steps is keeping a watchful eye on the border with Cambodia

The view of the temple itself from the top step

Just beyond the base of the steps is the small wooden gate that signals the entrance into Cambodia territory

These are the steps that lead up to the temple from the unofficial Cambodian border crossing

A monk contemplates the location of Ta Muen Thom, completely surrounded by forest, and military

A reminder of the ever-present threat of landmines in the forest surrounding the temple