Cambodia opposes building a version of Angkor Wat in India

Cambodia's Ministry of Foreign Affairs has just sent a letter to the Indian Ministry of Foreign Affairs stating that the country opposes the Mahavir Mandir religious organization's construction of a version of Angkor Wat temple in India.

Cambodia's Angkor Wat architectural complex - Photo: Bangkok Post

According to the Bangkok Post, a copy of the letter published by Japan's Kyodo news agency said: "The Royal Government of Cambodia finds that the replica of Angkor Wat temple for commercial purposes seriously violates the world cultural heritage with unique human value and recognized worldwide."

The Cambodian Ministry of Foreign Affairs requested India to urgently and seriously resolve the issue to avoid damaging the traditional historical relationship between the governments and peoples of the two countries.

The Mahavir Mandir religious organization announced on its website plans to build an architectural replica of Angkor Wat outside the ancient city of Vaisali, in the western state of Bihar.

The Mahavir Mandir religious organization also said it would change the name of its temple from Viraat Angkor Wat Ram Mandir to Viraat Ramayan Mandir to “respect the Cambodian people’s ideas.”

The organization also said that "when the project is completed, it will help strengthen the relationship between two culturally rich countries, India and Cambodia."

However, in the protest letter, the Cambodian Ministry of Foreign Affairs made it clear that Angkor Wat is a site on the list of world cultural heritages recognized by UNESCO and will always be a symbol of the Cambodian people.

(According to Bangkok Post/TTO)