Preah Vihear temple is located in Svay Chhrun village, Kantout commune, Choam Ksan district, about 108 kilometers north of Preah Vihear provincial town, Tbiang Meanchey. Preah Vihear province was created in 1964 by cutting the land Stung Treng, Kampong Thom and Siem Reap provinces. The province is at the north of Cambodia, on the plateau that is rich in forests, mountains and streams.
Preah Vihear temple, which is 800 meters long and 400 meters wide, sits atop the 625-meter-high Phnom Preah Vihear in the Dangrek Mountain range on the border of Thailand. The Cambodian side of the mountain is very steep, while the Thai side is gently rolling. There are three ways to reach Preah Vihear temple:
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| Look from Sky |
- From Cambodia by the ancient road Svay Chhrum. There is staircase to the mountaintop.
- From Cambodia by Kor I Road, which has been reconstructed with concrete. Most local people and sellers go up the mountain by this road
- From Thailand, the route most popular with foreign visitors. Foreigners can also get to the temple from the Cambodian side, but the route is very difficult.
Preah Vihear temple is a cultural and historical site. The French handed over the temple to Thailand in 1954. It was returned to Cambodia on June 15, 1962, in a decision rendered by the international Court.
The temple was originally known as Sreisikharesvara, which means the powers of the mountain. The temple was built over 300 years in the late 9th and early 12th centuries to worship Shiva Brahmanism by four kings:
- King Yasovarman I (AD 889-900 or 910)
- King Suryavarman I (AD 1002-1050)
- King Jayavarman VI (AD 1080-1109)
- King Suryavarman II (AD 1113-1150)
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