NEW DELHI, INDIA, July 25, 2025 (NDTV): The 900-year-old Preah Vihear temple, a Hindu shrine dedicated to Lord Shiva, is perched on a 1,722 foot cliff in Cambodia’s Dangrek mountains. Built under the Khmer Empire, it is a religious site for not just Cambodians, but also their Thai neighbors. Roughly 59 miles to the west lies the Ta Muen Thom temple, a 12th-century Shiva shrine. Although largely overshadowed by the popularity of Angkor Wat, this cluster of temples has been at the center of a conflict between the two nations for more than half a century. The border dispute revolves around the controversy surrounding the demarcation between Cambodia and Thailand, much of which stems from colonial-era borders. In 1962, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) ruled in favor of Cambodia and ordered Thailand to withdraw troops and return any artifacts removed after 1954. Recent hostilities have focused on the Ta Muen Thom temple. Situated along the rugged forested border in the Dangrek Mountains, this lesser-known Khmer Hindu complex includes three main temples – Ta Muen Thom, Ta Muen, and Ta Muen Tot. Ta Muen Thom’s architecture features a sanctuary facing southward, an anomaly among Khmer temples, which traditionally face east. A naturally formed Shivling remains enshrined in its sanctum. Its location has made it a recurring flashpoint.

Following the establishment of French protection over Cambodia in 1863, several treaties between France and Siam were signed from 1904 to 1907 to define territorial boundaries. French surveyors created maps based on watershed lines but made exceptions near culturally important sites such as Preah Vihear. Southeast Asian historians have long noted that boundaries, particularly those drawn by Western powers, were alien to regional politics. The French-made maps based on European cartography gave Cambodia a distinct “geo-body,” with Preah Vihear located just inside its borders. Thailand has consistently disputed these lines, especially as more modern geographic technologies exposed inconsistencies. In 2008, Cambodia succeeded in having Preah Vihear listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site, a move that again triggered Thai opposition.

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