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Prasat Preah Vihear

Prasat Preah Vihear is a Khmer Angkor era temple situated atop a 525-meter cliff in the Dangrek Mountains in Cambodia just across the border from Thailand. The view from here is as dramatic as it sounds, with the panoramic scene stretching for miles and miles. Affording a view for many kilometers across a plain, it has the most spectacular setting of all the temples built during the six-century-long Khmer Empire. As a key edifice of the empire's spiritual life, it was supported and modified by successive kings and so bears elements of several architectural styles. Preah Vihear is unusual among Khmer temples in being constructed along a long north-south axis, rather than having the conventional rectangular plan with orientation toward the east. The temple gives its name to Cambodia's Preah Vihear province, in which is located.

The journey to the Temple from the Cambodian side is more of an adventure though and very much a highlight of the trip. It may be a hard and arduous journey, though the route is becoming easier with more roads getting sealed each year, but the smile on your face when you first see Prasat Preah Vihear makes it all worth it.

The history of Prasat Preah Vihear

The Temple of Prasat Preah Vihear was built over a period of time stretching through the reign of seven Khmer Monarchs. The Temple was started during the reign of Yasovarman I, who was in power from 889-910AD and was finished during the years of Suryavarman II (who built the great temples of Angkor) 1112-1152AD.

Prasat Preah Vihear translates into English as 'Sacred Monastery' and was a major pilgrimage site during the Angkor years. The Temple was dedicated to Shiva, a Hindu deity and worshippers from all over the Khmer World (and some from further away) came to ask for Shiva's blessing.

Plan of the Temple

Construction of the first temple on the site began in the early 9th century; both then and in the following centuries it was dedicated to the Hindu god Shiva in his manifestations as the mountain gods Sikharesvara and Bhadresvara. The earliest surviving parts of the temple, however, date from the Koh Ker period in the early 10th century, when the empire's capital was at the city of that name. Today, elements of the Banteay Srei style of the late 10th century can be seen, but most of the temple was constructed during the reigns of the kings Suryavarman I (1002–1050) and Suryavarman II (1113–1150). An inscription found at the temple provides a detailed account of Suryavarman II studying sacred rituals, celebrating religious festivals and making gifts, including white parasols, golden bowls and elephants, to his spiritual advisor, the aged Brahman Divakarapandita. The Brahman himself took an interest in the temple, according to the inscription, gifting it with a golden statue of a dancing Shiva.

The Temple

The temple complex runs 800m along a north-south axis, and consists essentially of a causeway and steps rising up the hill towards the sanctuary, which sits on the cliff top at the southern end of the complex (120m above the northern end of the complex, 525m above the Cambodian plain and 625m above sea level). Although this structure is very different from the Temple Mountains found at Angkor, it serves the same purpose as a stylised representation of Mount Meru, the home of the gods.

The approach to the sanctuary is punctuated by five gopuras (these are conventionally numbered from the sanctuary outwards, so gopura five is the first to be reached by visitors). Each of the gopuras before the courtyards is reached by a set of steps, and so marks a change in height which increases their impact. The gopuras also block a visitor's view of the next part of the temple until he passes through the gateway, making it impossible to see the complex as a whole from any one point.

The fifth gopura, in the Koh Ker style, retains traces of the red paint with which it was once decorated, although the tiled roof has now disappeared. The fourth gopura is later, from the Khleang/Baphuon periods, and has on its southern outer pediment, "one of the masterpieces of Preah Vihear" (Freeman, p. 162): a depiction of the Churning of the Sea of Milk. The third is the largest, and is also flanked by two halls. The sanctuary is reached via two successive courtyards, in the outer of which are two libraries. To the left of the Sanctuary is Pei Ta Da Cliff, which allows those wonderful views over the Cambodian lowlands.

Visiting Prasat Preah Vihear

There are two possible ways of visiting Prasat Preah Vihear; the first is from the Cambodia side and second from Thailand side of the border. The Cambodia side is more of an adventure, coming across the Cambodian lowlands to the Temple from Siem Reap or Phnom Penh.

There is a new 'packed laterite access road' from Siem Reap to Prasat Preah Vihear which goes via Anlong Veng. This is around 210 kilometers and the quicker of the two routes. It would be best to hire a 4 wheel drive with driver as the road is bit adventurous.

The second route is from Siem Reap to Prasat Preah Vihear, going via Koh Ker and on through the Kulen Prum Tep Wildlife Sanctuary. This is also an adventurous route.

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Dusit Club Room

PATA Travel Mart 2008 at Hyderabad… The Marvelous Experience

HYDERABAD (INDIA). With more than 1,200 delegates from over 86 countries brainstormed over four days as to how to lure more worldwide tourists into the Asia-Pacific region, which has some of the most ancient and interesting tourist attractions in the world.

Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) Travel Mart (PTM) 2008, Asia Pacific's best annual travel contracting and networking show, held at Hyderabad International Convention Centre (HICC), Hyderabad, India on September 16-19. PTM 2008 has seen about 850 sellers (tourism and travel operators) from all over the world interacting on tourism contracts from over 350 buyers (tourism wings of governments) in the Asia-Pacific region.

While the tourism in the Asia Pacific region as a whole is expected to grow at a rate of six per cent per annum over the next few years with a planned target of 450 million tourists by 2010. Of the 903 million international tourist arrivals world over in 2007, India accounted for only 5.08 million, a meager 0.56 per cent.

In the Asia-Pacific region, there were 194.3 million arrivals. India ranks 42nd in world tourist arrivals and 11th in Asia Pacific tourist arrivals.

While AP is the number one domestic tourist destination (largely due to the religious pilgrimage to Tirupati), it does not figure in the top five states attracting international tourists. "Most international tourists have heard of only Hyderabad, that too as a modern city and an IT hub. We hope to change all that by selling all the tourist spots in the state and increasing the number of international tourists to 1 million by the next year," said Jayesh Ran-jan, MD, APTDC.

The Pacific Asia 2008 meet in the city is all set to change the fortunes of the lesser known tourist spots in the state.

The Falaknuma Palace, The Budda statue in Hussainsagar, Taramati Baradari, Golconda fort, Qutub Shahi tombs and Shilparamam and Hitex are going to be included in the international travel list. "For the first time all these tourism spots would get the much-needed exposure and I am sure some of those would be included in the international travel list," said Ms Laxmi Parthasarathi, the principal secretary of the tourism department.

"We had never hosted an international meeting like this in Hyderabad before. The international airport, Hitex convention centre and recent additions in the hospitality sector have made it possible for the city to host international events. Now, the city has joined the select international cities with most advanced meeting, exhibition, convention and hospitality facilities," she added.

Thanks to the Ministry of Tourism, Government of India and the State of Andhra Pradesh, the historical city of Hyderabad for hosting the prestigious event accordingly. As India's "Incredible India" media campaign has placed Indian tourism on the world map, this year's PTM was the ideal platform to showcase India's tourism destinations and products.

Hyderabad itself is now considered as one of the most happening cities in the world being developed as the transit hub between Europe and China. Also, Hyderabad is the hot "IT" hub of India and prominently features HITEC City. The new international airport has virtually transformed Hyderabad into the most sought tourist destination in India, along with New Delhi, Kolkata, Mumbai and Chennai.

Some 250 PATA Travel Mart (PTM) delegates joined the complimentary city tour on the official first day of the event that aims to facilitate the sustainable growth of Asia Pacific travel in "total tourism" terms - to, within, and from the region.

As Hyderabad is called "City of Pearls" it is interesting to know what the name of the cosmopolitan mega city in the central part of India really means. And so the story goes:

The place of Hyderabad was originally named after a local dancer called Bhagmati. It was Mohamed Quli Qutub Shah, who ousted the earlier Bahamani dynasty in 1512 to establish the fortress city of Golconda. Once the sultan rode out from Golconda to meet his beloved one by braving the flood waters of the Musi River. He renamed his beloved "Hyder Mahal" and named the new city Hyderabad in honor of her.

Our first stop was at the historical Golconda Fort dating back to the 12-13th century, when the Hindu Kakatiyas ruled there. The fortress - meaning "Shepherd's Hill in the local Telugu language - was built on a granite hill and surrounded by massive ramparts. The fort itself has a 10km long outer wall and 8 main gateways, water supply, royal palace complex, meeting halls, temples and mosques. Hand-clapping was the traditional code for warning the residents in case of danger.

Not far from the impressive Golconda Fort, there were the 7 royal tombs of the Qutub Shahi dynasty, who ruled Hyderabad during 1518-1687. Planned and built by the Qutub Shahis themselves, the tombs show Persian, Pathan and Hindu architectural styles - using granite rocks and ornamented with stucco. There are other tombs too, for instance the tomb of Princess Hayat Bakshi Begum. It was there that the Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb prayed in a nearby mosque, after he had captured the city in 1687 and made it part of his great Mughal Empire.

The last stop of the 5 hours city tour was at the vast gardens of Shilparamam Crafts Village, where shopping was possible and a local buffet lunch was offered. Also, there was a short performance of a shadow puppet show, which goes back in time and can be compared with the shadow puppet plays in Southern Thailand, Malaysia and Indonesia.

After this successful introduction into the tourism potential of Hyderabad, all the delegates of PTM2008 were prepared to attend "Incredible India Evening" and the official dinner reception at the Falaknuma Palace hosted by H. E. Ambika Soni, Ministry of Tourism, Government of India.

The Falaknuma Palace is regarded as one of the most magnificent palaces in the whole of India and overlooks the busy city of Hyderabad. It was built by Vikar-ul-Umra in the late 19th century, when India was a British colony. The former "Maharaja" palace is a treasure trove of art and architecture and is now a part of the Taj Group, which will soon convert it into a super deluxe hotel.

Interesting to note that, Cambodia announced its own travel mart Angkor International Tourism Exchange (AITEX) again in Siem Reap on December 4-6, 2009.

Cambodia is one of the 6 countries of the Greater Mekong Sub-region (GMS) that is promoting its tourist attractions heavily. Among them is the sacred temple of Preah Vihear, which became the newest UNESCO World Heritage Site recently.

PATA Travel Mart (PTM) 2008 at the Hyderabad International Convention Centre (HICC) holds what it promised. During the official press conference on September 17, PATA President and CEO Peter de Jong revealed that 374 buyers from 56 countries interact with 715 registered sellers from 38 countries. Furthermore, there will be around 200 international and local media delegates to monitor the three days of busy networking.

The following media briefings were conducted in the well-equipped media workrooms sponsored by Amadeus Asia Pacific.

1. H.E. Ms Ambika Sony, Honorable Union Tourism Minister of the Government of India, personally gave out the traditional order that guests will be treated as gods. Despite natural calamities and man-made disasters, Indian tourism will have a rosy future with some 22 mega destinations in place. Welcoming some 5 million international tourists in 2007, India's railway network is one of the largest in the world; its hospitality is second to none. With the "Incredible India" campaign, a huge product diversity from sea to desert and an ambitious rural tourism project going on, Indian tourism will grow accordingly.

2. Mr. Jagdeep Singh, Media Facilitator, introduced the popular destination of India's Rajasthan with its forts, palaces, temples, lakes, wild-life sanctuaries and cultural festivals. Looking at the tremendous success of the "Palace on Wheels" booked out till 2010, there will be launched a new super luxury train "Royal Rajasthan on Wheels" in December 2008. The train will have 2 suites, 13 saloons, plus 2 restaurants & bar, spa and internet facilities. Its itinerary will include Jaipur, Bikaner, Jaisalmer, Udaipur and Agra.

3. The Government of Andhra Pradesh in India with its Minister of Tourism, Mr. Sri Anam Ramanarayana, highlighted the rich heritage of the region, actually being the essence of Incredible India. With a 1.000km long coastline, a myriad of ancient Buddhist sites, such as Amaravati and Nagarjunakonda, and its sophisticated handicrafts of ikat weaving and silver working, Andhra Pradesh is at the forefront of adventure tourism. Also, its capital Hyderabad is now quickly becoming a hotspot for international events and a preferred MICE destination. Furthermore, Hyderabad is in the process to become a medical city, offering special services like Ayurveda treatments.

4. That China is watching the newly emerging India source market was demonstrated by Mrs. Alice Wang, Deputy Director of China National Tourism Administration (CNTA) based in New Delhi. In her presentation, she mentioned China's 54 million visitors in 2007 and the huge flow in domestic tourism.

After the successful event of the Olympics in Beijing this year, Mrs. Alice Wang is banking on regional co-operation schemes, such as with ASEAN and India. Also, there will be the upcoming China International Travel Mart in the mega city of Shanghai on November 20-23, 2008.

5. Air India presented its new face and it was interesting to note that Air India is planning to join "Star Alliance" in early 2009.

6. China's Chengdu tourism industry has suffered since the massive earthquake on May 12, 2008 and needs to recover again. Chengdu represents not only a part of traditional China, but also mirrors modern China too. In comparison with other developed cities in China, Chengdu, capital of Sichuan Province, claims a history of 2,500 years and a well-preserved heritage of traditions. With its 11 million inhabitants, Chengdu is opening more and more to the outside world and moving forward to be a cosmopolitan city. In the vicinity of the city, there are the ancient water conservancy projects and the protection zones of the world-famous panda bears. In addition, the Leshan Giant Buddha and the sacred mountain of Mount Emei are worth a visit, not to say the tea houses, local cuisine restaurants and traditional arts and crafts centres.

7. China's Chongqing New Century Cruises on the Yangzi River were introduced and there was an overview about the Three Gorges Dam Project given accordingly.

8. Hangzhou Tourism introduced the city that will host the next PATA Travel Mart at Zhejiang World Trade Centre on September 22-25, 2009. For delegates, who will land at Shanghai Pudong International Airport, it will be a two hours shuttle bus ride by expressway. Hangzhou with its 6.6 million inhabitants has its own Hangzhou Xiaoshan International Airport and some 300 hotels to offer. The city is an economic powerhouse in China and borders the scenic West Lake. This natural setting and a myriad of temples and shrines make Hangzhou a top tourist destination. Also, the city is the southern terminal of the Grand Canal going up to Beijing. Xixi National Wetland Park is another tourist attraction together with a tea museum and home of silk. Ancient traditional medicine shops abound - all good reasons to attend PTM2009 next year in Hangzhou.

9. Mr. Udom Metatamrongsiri, Advisor of Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT), introduced the revived "Amazing Thailand" campaign for the Visit Year 2008-2009. Despite its current political problems, Thailand is still a world class tourist destination and its tourism industry has a strong foundation. The year 2007 recorded 14.46 million visitors and the aim of 2008 is looking for 15.48 million tourists. The five leading source markets are Malaysia, Japan, South Korea, China and Singapore. Some European countries follow behind. One of the new markets will be India.

TAT will organise a kind of mega familiarisation trip during October 8-12 to highlight Thailand's seven amazing wonders, namely Thai-ness, Treasure, Beaches, Nature, Wellness, Trends, and Festivities. Newly promoted destinations are Koh Chang, Nong Khai, Chiang Rai, Mae Hong Son, Krabi and Phang Nga.

10. Update on Hong Kong Disneyland Resort and its two US destinations Disneyland in Anaheim, California and the Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando, Florida.

11. Widespread tourism opportunities abound in the South Pacific. There were valuable presentations made by tourism representatives of Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, Vanuatu and finally the elusive Kingdom of Tonga.

12. PATA Sri Lanka Chapter & Sri Lanka Convention Bureau invited media delegates to the launch of the "Meet in Sri Lanka" campaign at the elegant Taj Krishna Hotel in the centre of Hyderabad. Present were Mr. Renton de Alwis, Director of the Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Bureau, and Mr. Hiran Cooray, Managing Director of Jetwing Hotels and Resorts in Sri Lanka. Colorful dressed dancers entertained the delegates in style.

Later in the evening, there was a dinner reception at the huge Taj Krishna Ball Room hosted by GMR Hyderabad International Airport Limited that privately runs the airports in Hyderabad, Delhi and Turkey's Istanbul.

A show with a difference...