The National Authority for Preah Vihear will organise a grand celebration of the 15th anniversary of the inscription of Preah Vihear Temple on the UNESCO World Heritage List on July 7, 2023.
The forthcoming celebration will be presided by H.E. Mrs. Phoeurng Sackona, Minister of Culture and Fine Arts with an expected participation of some 1,000 people who are representatives of foreign embassies, founding members of the International Coordinating Committee for Preah Vihear Temple (ICC-Preah Vihear), national and international guests, senior officials of the Ministry of Culture and Fine Arts, provincial administration, National Authority for Preah Vihear, local authorities, and students.
Seventy-seven (77) Buddhist monks will be invited to offer foods and other necessary stuff.
In addition, there will be Preah Vihear Temple Run divided into two categories – 7KM RUN and 700 m WALK – at Preah Vihear Temple site, along with a concert on July 9 to make the celebration more cheerful.
The Temple of Preah Vihear, Cambodia's sacred temple on the Dangrek Mountains, was inscribed on the World Heritage List at the 32nd session of the UNESCO World Heritage Committee on July 7, 2008 in Quebec, Canada.
According to UNESCO, Preah Vihear is a temple dedicated to Shiva. The Temple is composed of a series of sanctuaries linked by a system of pavements and staircases over an 800-metre-long axis and dates back to the first half of the 11th century AD. Nevertheless, its complex history can be traced to the 9th century, when the hermitage was founded. This site is particularly well preserved, mainly due to its remote location. The site is exceptional for the quality of its architecture, which is adapted to the natural environment and the religious function of the temple, as well as for the exceptional quality of its carved stone ornamentation. Preah Vihear is an outstanding masterpiece of Khmer architecture. It is very ‘pure’ both in plan and in the detail of its decoration.
Other Cambodian heritages registered so far on the World Heritage List include the Historic Site of Angkor inscribed as a World Heritage Site in 1992, Preah Reach Troap Dance (Royal Ballet) and Lakhon Sbek Thom (big shadow puppet) proclaimed masterpieces of Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity, respectively in 2003 and 2005, Teanh Prot (tug-of-war), a popular recreational game, named an Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2015, Chapei Dang Veng, a Cambodian two-stringed, long-necked guitar, inscribed on the List of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Need of Urgent Safeguarding in 2016, Sambor Prei Kuk temple complex registered as a World Heritage Site in 2017, and Lkhon Khol Wat Svay Andet recognised as an Intangible Cultural Heritage in Need of Urgent Safeguarding in 2018.
Source: Agence Kampuchea Presse