A senior official of the Sambor Prei Kuk National Authority (SPKNA) said they have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Indian government on a restoration project for Prison Temple – or Asram Moha Russei.

SPKNA director-general Phan Nady said the Asram Moha Russei was built from sandstone and is currently in a dilapidated state.

The signing ceremony – between Nady and Indian ambassador to Cambodia Devyani Khobragade – took place during the 28th Meeting of The International Coordinating Committee for the Safeguarding and Development of the Historic Site of Angkor (ICC-Angkor) on March 25, and was presided over by Minister of Culture and Fine Arts Phoeurng Sackona.

The Asram Moha Russei was built from sandstone and is currently in a dilapidated state. CULTURE MINISTRY

“One of the characteristics of the Sambor Prei Kuk temple complex is that most of the temples are build from brick. The signed MoU focuses only on a sandstone temple – which has a similar style to a temple in India. This is partly why India is interested in repairing it,” he said.

The SPKNA began their work in 2017 after the temple complex was registered as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO on July 8, 2017.

The authority will focus on their work in two steps. First, they will carry out renovations on the temples. Then they will lay out the homes of the villagers living around it to ensure they do not encroach on the temple grounds.