New temple in Thailand causes controversy because it resembles Angkor Wat

The Sihanakhon temple complex under construction in Thailand's Buri Ram province has sparked controversy after many people said the temple appeared to be designed to replicate the famous Angkor Wat temple complex - the world's largest religious monument.

Khattiya Chaimanee, a culture official in Buriram province, said the temple was built in the style of ancient Khmer structures, most notably the design of the Naga Bridge – a bridge shaped like a Naga snake, a symbol of the connection between the human world and nirvana. These structures can be found throughout the South Isan region of northeastern Thailand.

He said the two temples were not exactly the same. “At Sihanakhon Temple, the towers are arranged in a horizontal row from large to small. This is completely different from the architecture of Angkor Wat,” he said.

However, Mr. Chaimanee also said that the abbot who came up with the idea to build the temple had dreamed that in his previous life he was one of the people who participated in building Angkor Wat in the 12th century. “Therefore, when he became a monk, he wanted to continue building religious symbols like that,” Mr. Chaimanee said.

Last month, a group of officials from the Cambodian Embassy in Thailand visited the temple, after the hashtags #SaveAngkorWat and #Angkorwatbelongtokhmer (Angkor Wat belongs to the Khmer) went viral on social media in both countries. The Cambodian Ministry of Culture later issued a statement that Sihanakhon Temple did not copy the design of Angkor Wat or any other temple in Cambodia.

However, Cambodian officials also said they would conduct further investigations. On August 15, Hab Touch, director of the country's Ministry of Culture, told the Khmer Times that experts would travel to Thailand to inspect the construction again. A specific date has not been set due to Covid-19-related travel restrictions.

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