Ta Phrom Highlights

Ta Prohm is one of Cambodia's most impressive of all the Angkor Temples and was one of the most important temples in Jayavarman VII's huge ambition to build a massive temple complex within Angkor. It was actually not only a temple but a monastery also, with 12,640 people living within. Its size was much greater than this though, being a city in its own right once upon a time. The outer wall measures 1km by 650 meters, and almost 80,000 people lived outside of the city wall in the surroundings of the temple.

If you close your eyes, you can imagine life in the Angkor kingdom within Ta Prohm unfolding before your eyes. The unique and special beauty of Ta Prohm is its decadence, its apparent lack of care, its having been forgotten and left to the elements. The temple was actually selected to be 'preserved' and not restored, in order to maintain its original credentials and show how it would have looked when discovered back in the 19th century, so this is in effect intentional to a certain degree. Whether or not it was foreseen, the beauty and mystical ambience of Ta Prohm is enhanced by the interwreathing of nature around these ancient structures. Silk cotton trees and strangler figs have laid claim to the site, the arteries of which weave through the bricks and foundations. In the short term they offer strength to the buildings, but unfortunately they are only temporary support, as once they perish the bricks or stones they support collapse around them. For those film buffs amongst you, this is where Tomb Raider was filmed, due to its outstanding aesthetic.