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Preah
Vihear (Khao Phra Viharn)
One temple
that I was really keen to visit was Preah Vihear, technically
located in the northernmost tip of Cambodia but only easily
accessible from northeast Thailand. Since it re-opened to
visitors in 1998, this mainly 11th century site has been a magnet
for Thai nationals, keen to see a jewel of Khmer history that
they feel was mistakenly awarded to Cambodia by an International
Court ruling in 1962. Without doubt, the temple has the most
remarkable setting of all the Khmer sites either within Cambodia
or the northeastern region of Thailand, known as Isaan. Perched
high on a cliff edge of the Dongrek Escarpment overlooking
Cambodia some 600 metres below, Preah Vihear or Khao Phra Viharn
(as its known in Thai) was closed for decades because of its
strategic location and the civil war raging in Cambodia, although
it opened briefly between 1991 and 1993. Following the death of
Pol Pot 
and the expulsion of the Khmer Rouge
renegades in the area, it re-opened again in August 1998 and has
remained accessible since.
Located some 36 kilometres south
of the Thai town of Kantharalak, access to the site is across the
Thai border before entering a series of causeways and steps
stretching some 800 metres from the entrance up through five
gopuras to the main sanctuary. Work began at the site in 813
under Jasovarman I and continued under a number of successive
rulers. They each left their own mark amongst the collection of
halls, libraries, naga balustrades, finely carved lintels and 
pediments and small barays. The photograph
(above) shows Gopura III in the top right-hand corner leading to
the main sanctuary in the bottom left-hand corner, next to the
cliff-edge. Pictured left is the south-facing entrance to Gopura
I.
Due to its lay-out, the temple
frustrates as no one view takes in both the temple itself and the
marvellous panorama stretching out acoss the Cambodian plains
below. Clearly in need of restoration having endured many years
of damage and neglect, warning signs are everywhere advising
visitors not to stray off the designated paths, as the danger of
landmines is very real (above right; picture courtesy of Michael
Chubak). A Cambodian military unit now guards the temple site and
collects the 200 baht entrance fee whilst Thai military officials
earn their revenue from the parking area, shops and restaurant at
the foot of the temple, which is on Thai soil. For the story and
photos of my 2nd visit to Preah Vihear in January 2005, click here. The temple is now accessible from the
Cambodian side, though the vast majority of its visitors enter
from Thailand.
The photographs below are
courtesy of Lisa Cox. The top two show the east side of the
central sanctuary (left) and the entrance to Gopura III (right).
Below them are various entrances and doorways at this
breathtaking cliff-top site.
Accessing
Preah Vihear from the Cambodian side
The
article below appeared in the United Nations Volunteer
(UNV) Newsletter in June 1993. It clearly indicates that access to
Preah Vihear is possible from the Cambodian side of the border,
albeit off-limits to all but locals and the most intrepid of
travellers. Almost 500 UNVs were part of the electoral component
of UNTAC, sent to prepare Cambodia for free and fair elections:-
Flying over Preah Vihear it is
obvious why the province is considered to be one of the most
difficult in which to implement voter registration. Vast areas of
scrub and forest are interrupted only by dirt tracks leading to
an occasional village. Now and then a plume of black smoke can be
seen rising high into the sky. Shelling in remote parts of Preah
Vihear's seven districts has become a daily occurrence as the
Cambodian People's Armed Forces (CPAF) and the National Army of
Democratic Kampuchea (NADK) struggle to secure their zones.
Although Preah Vihear is home to
only about 42,000 eligible voters, reaching them has proven to be
a major challenge for electoral staff assigned to this 15,000
square kilometer province bordering Thailand. Compounding the
problems of impassable roads and a tenuous security situation,
registration in some areas began even later than the scheduled
starting date of 23 November 1992. Rovieng and Sangkum Thmey
districts were delayed nearly a month due to logistical problems.
Shelling in Choam Khsan district forced the electoral team and
Civilian Police (CivPol) to evacuate on November 6. Exactly one
month later, District Electoral Supervisors (DESs) Therese
Laanela and Brooks Entwistle returned to Choam Khsan to resume
their task of registering the estimated 5,200 eligible voters
scattered throughout 26 villages.
Today, together with an UNMO, a
CivPol officer, three Pakistani soldiers, two interpreters, two
visitors from Phnom Penh and a CPAF liaison officer, Entwistle
plans to climb the 730-meter Dangrek mountain cliff to the 11th
century Khmer temple on the ridge dividing Cambodia from
Thailand. He wants to see if there are Cambodians living on top
of the mountain who want to register to vote.
The temple site is easily
accessible by paved highway from Thailand, but no foreigners
(aside from the Vietnamese) have made the trek from the Cambodian
side of the border since the early 1970s. The trail begins 40
kilometers from Choam Khsan and requires an exhausting
five-kilometer hike up a steep trail lined with mines and thick
jungle. Hundreds of Cambodians have lost their lives on this
highly-contested mountain during the past two decades of civil
war, either in combat or while attempting to flee to Thailand.
The group meets at 7 a.m. and
heads off. The road to the border is characterised by rickety
bridges, masssive craters and an occasional 105 -mm mortar shell
lying under a bush. The landscape is dotted with skeletons of
rusted vehicles whose journeys were cut short by anti-tank mines.
After an hour the convoy stops at Sai Em, an isolated village
half-way to the mountain' s base. Even before the car fully
stops, Entwistle bolts out and starts nailing UNTAC registration
posters to every surface in sight. When finished with the
posters, he and the two interpreters go door-to-door,
distributing pamphlets and slapping bright UNTAC stickers on
every house where the inhabitants give permission to do so.
Speaking Khmer, Entwistle works the crowd, shaking hands,
tweaking kids' noses, handing out UNTAC materials. With his
vigorous manner and flair at public relations, one might think
that Entwistle himself was running in the upcoming elections,
rather than just promoting the registration process.
Ten minutes later, leaving 100
bemused villagers in their wake, the convoy continues along the
desolate road. By noon they reach the CPAF base camp at the foot
of the mountain and Entwistle arranges to come back and register
the 20 soldiers there the following week. The ten-member group
then readies itself for the arduous climb ahead. The Pakistani
soldiers take their automatic rifles, interpreters bring maps and
notebooks, and Entwistle loads his backpack with drinking water
and MRE s.
The trek begins gradually through
an overgrown field, which looks like it may have been a parking
lot for Cambodian tourists in better days. Crossing a foot
bridge, an interpreter points out a rusted anti-aircraft gun in
the ditch below. More wrecked military vehicles litter the trail.
Soon the path begins to rise and the ancient stone steps which
lead to the temple emerge from the brush, marking the beginning
of the ascent. The group proceeds single-file up the jagged
cliff, pushing branches out of the path while swatting at the
giant red ants that jump down their shirt collars.
Halfway up the mountain the group
meets two CPAF soldiers coming the opposite way. Surprised, one
of them says that he has never met any foreigners on this trail.
He cautions, " Watch out for mines and stay on the path. A
guy lost both his legs here two months ago when he walked into
the woods." Sufficiently convinced, the UNTAC group
carefully continues on, panting and sweating as the trail grows
steeper and more overgrown.
Two hours later, dripping with
sweat and smeared with dirt, they emerge from the jungle and are
shocked to discover that Preah Vihear temple is not a lost
vine-covered relic waiting to be rediscovered. Instead, the group
is greeted by the sight of hundreds of Thai tourists swarming the
graffitited edifice, wearing cone shaped Vietnamese hats and
clutching cans of Pepsi. Snack stalls and air-conditioned tour
buses far outnumber the Khmer ruins on top of this mountain peak.
Entwistle and his interpreter pull
out their notebooks and start going from drink stand to snack
booth, asking the vendors if they have registered to vote. Many
of them are from Choam Khsan and know the UNTAC people well. One
vendor turns out to be the photographer, Sokanna's brother. He
hands out cold drinks to the somewhat dazed UNTAC group and
refuses payment, proudly telling onlookers that these are his
UNTAC friends from Choam Khsan.
Thai and Japanese tourists beseige
the Pakistani soldiers and the Ghanaian CivPol and ask to have
their snapshots taken with them. Entwistle, not in uniform, draws
less interest. Within a half an hour, he has surveyed the area
and has identified 30 Cambodian vendors, soldiers and police who
want to register to vote. Entwistle also gets permission to use a
generator belonging to a drink vendor, so the registration team
can run the laminating machine when they return here next week.
Mission accomplished, they begin
the knee-jarring descent back to Choam Khsan. Entwistle is
euphoric. On the way down, he discusses plans for next week's
trip back up the mountain with the CivPol officer and the
Pakistani soldiers. He plans to bring a small team to register
the 20 people at the base camp and the other 30 up on the peak.
"It will be an adventure," he said. "We'll put on
our packs and just do it."
By dark, the gung-ho DES and
entourage are back in Choam Khsan. Not only have they visited one
of the most remote locations in the province, but they have also
proven UNTAC's commitment to facilitating the most far-reaching
voter registration possible. That night, Entwistle sleeps well,
knowing that a day' work is completed. Article courtesy
of United Nations Volunteers Newsletter [1993].
In the guidebook, Adventure Cambodia, published at the end of 2000, the trek to Preah
Vihear from Choam Khsan town is described as follows:-
Along the way to the
mountain temple, you will notice pieces of vehicles hanging from
up in the trees here and there from unfortunate souls that hit a
landmine. It's an eerie reminder in this peaceful and uninhabited
forest area of the deadly devices that are still lurking about
this area in big numbers. The soldiers at the base camp are a
friendly lot that will allow you to park your bike at their camp
while you hike up to the temple and you can figure that the bike
will still be there when you return. It's not required but it's a
real nice gesture to give these underpaid guys a few thousand
riel to watch your bike - good insurance and you will make some
friends. It's a good idea to have your moto guy or a soldier lead
the way on the winding upward climb to the temple. The mountain
is riddled with landmines and while, if you follow the golden
rule for Cambodia - always stay on worn pathways and roadways -
you will be okay, there are intersecting pathways, where it's
difficult to figure out which way to go. I did the hike alone but
there was some question on which path to follow at a couple of
spots.
The 1½ to 2 hour
hike takes you through a piece of the beautiful Dangrek
Mountains, but never forget the hidden danger that is right
nearby as you are walking - landmines. That aside, it is a scenic
and peaceful walk through a former battle zone. Before you see
the temple, you will be surprised to see a clearing off to the
left that has a beautifully paved road in the distance. It's not
much further beyond that that you come to the temple gateway and
ancient stairway leading to the temple and the gorgeous views of
where you just came from. Note: A moto-taxi driver from
the old market in Choam Khsan will act as a guide for US$10 plus
fuel. The 46km journey will take all day, even with an early
start. Extract courtesy of Adventure Cambodia by Matt Jacobson and Frank
Visakay. Copyright remains with publishers, Silkworm Books.
Also
located in the Isaan region of Thailand are a number of
restored Khmer sanctuaries, the best of which are at Phimai,
Phnom Rung, Muang Tam, Ta Muen Thom and Phnom Wan. These temple
sites and many others, numbering around 300 in total, were built
when this area of Thailand was part of the Khmer empire and is
still essentially Khmer-speaking. Click here to read more about these
temples.
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