| Location: | East of Angkor Thom |
| King: | Jayavarman VII |
| Date: | 12th-13th century |
| Religion: | Buddhist |
| Access: | Enter from the west side. |
|
|
Ta Prom is definitively what you are looking for if you are into discovering old ruins in the jungle. When the French started clearing away the vegetation on the Angkor ruins some romantics protested that the archeologist were destroying what they called "the natural state" of the temples. The Conservation Society decided that Ta Prohm would remain in its overgrown state. Some work was carried out to prevent further collapses and to make the site safe for visitors. Some parts have signs that forbid entry which doesn't seem to hinder the majoity of the tourists. As Ta Prom is visited by most Angkor tourist more and more vegetation disappears every year. Thus the causeways and stone floors get bare which dries out the giant fig trees. Nevertheless, Ta Prom is a sight not to be missed.
The temple is one of the largest, with an outer wall measuring 600 by 1000 metres, largely collapsed. The sanctuary is a square with sides of 120m. Some parts are inaccessible because the roofs caved in. It is a good idea to bring a flashlight if you want to scout the inner hallways. Be careful where you step, especially in the morning when all the stones are wet with the dew. The old man on the picture below seems to live in or near the temple. He spends his day wiping the pathways and showing the tourists particularly fine pieces of sculpture in exchange for a little money.
You can enter the complex from the west. Most of the time some people will be there trying to sell you musical instruments, little buddha statues and the like. Often people are performing local music and little girls will show you their version of apsara dances.
Ta Prom temple is The Tom Raider
This temple was a monastery built by Jayavarman VII as a residence for his mother. Ta Prohm has been controversially left to the destructive power of the jungle by French archeologists to show how nature can destroy man's work. It has been largely overgrown by the jungle and as you climb through the dilapidated stone structures you see many giant trees growing out of the top of the temple itself. It's the sort of place where you'd expect to see Indiana Jones step out from behind a fallen pillar. As such, it is one of the most regularly visited temples, with visitors often arriving during the warmer hours of the middle of the day to take advantage of the protective canopy the forest spreads above the temple. Ta Prohm looks as many of the monuments did when European explorers first laid eyes on them.
