Cambodian Hindu Temple Declared World Heritage Site
The ancient Hindu temple of Preah Vihear on the Cambodia-Thailand border has been accorded World Heritage Site status by UNESCO at its meeting in Canada. Most of the Preah Vihear temple complex was built by Angkor kings Suryavarman I and Suryavarman II in the 11th and 12th centuries AD. At the center of controversy due to its proximity to Thailand, the International Court of Justice ruled in 1962 that the Hindu temple belonged to Cambodia.
Like other Angkor temples, Preah Vihear is a representation of the Hindu universe, with five peaks representing Mount Meru, home of the Gods. The temple also boasts an enormous depiction of the ‘Churning of the Ocean’ episode from Hindu mythology.
Also accorded World Heritage Site status by UNESCO this year are colonial trading towns of George Town and Malacca on the Straits of Malacca in Malaysia.
