Ta Prohm

Construction : Late 12th/Early 13th century – 1186
Religion: Buddhism
Style : Bayon
King : Jayavarman VII   (1181 – 1218 )
Location : On the large circuit, just beside Banteay Kdei. East of Angkor Thom.

This temple is certainly one of most impressive, if not most impressive of all the temples of the site of Angkor . It was to be in its time a gigantic monastic city and when you enter by the Est gate, while moving through this splendid forest towards the temple itself, it is necessary to imagine that you cross an active city of many people where houses, made light materials entirely disappeared with Time. Inscriptions indicate that 80.000 people worked at the service of this monastery and inter alias the monks used 5 tons of gold plate! Ta Phrom forms part of the last generation of Angkorian temples, on only one level, surrounded by many galleries. You will be immediately impressed by the number, the size and the quality of the still intact galleries.

The others are only fall and heap of stones. The French School of Extreme Orient, which is at the base of many work of restoration of Angkor, would have voluntarily left this temple in this state of decay, where nature continues its work destroying in order to give to the visitor this very special impression to discover a wild place. The EFEO is as justified by saying as there exists on the site of Angkor many other examples of this kind of architecture, like Banteay Srey or the very close Banteay Kdei, but also releases itself from an enormous task, it is enough for persuaded to look at the numbers of stones scattered on the ground. In addition, the roots which surround the walls and invade certain galleries are a true treat for the eyes and the photographers! Set up five years after the arrival on the throne of Jayavarman VII, Ta Phrom is dedicated to his mother, and is formed part of the temples dedicated to the divinized parents. It will build later Preah Khan in the honor of his father. To be visited absolutely.

The Buddhism temple ruins like one city that inside the immense site which east west 1000 meter north and south 600 meters. There is a mark of the ring moat which surrounds the third lap wall on left and right. The next second lap wall does with the laterite. Inside having become the corridor, the roof of the sandstone is riding. As for the banyan tree with the very much high trees and shrubs, there is no branch excluding the part of the canopy. The key also voice of the bird which calls sharply has emphasized strange atmosphere.