Cambodia

Cambodia — Day 1: Ta Prohm (ប្រាសាទតាព្រហ្ម), Angkor Archaeological Park, Angkor, Cambodia — part 1 of 2

Nick Morris

Nick Morris

— 3 min read

Where was Indiana Jones?

September 2015

Ta Prohm (ប្រាសាទតាព្រហ្ម) was another temple built by Jayavarman VII (1181–1218 A.D.).

Ta Prohm (ប្រាសាទតាព្រហ្ម) looked more like the type of temple I was expecting to see in Angkor. The temple collapsed, partially ruined, and slowly being taken over by the jungle.

For more information, see Wikipedia.

Photo by Author — entrance at Ta Prohm (ប្រាសាទតាព្រហ្ម), Angkor Archaeological Park, Angkor, Cambodia
Photo by Author — entrance at Ta Prohm (ប្រាសាទតាព្រហ្ម), Angkor Archaeological Park, Angkor, Cambodia
Photo by Author — main approach to — Ta Prohm (ប្រាសាទតាព្រហ្ម), Angkor Archaeological Park, Angkor, Cambodia — note the tree growing out and over the ruin
Photo by Author — main approach to — Ta Prohm (ប្រាសាទតាព្រហ្ម), Angkor Archaeological Park, Angkor, Cambodia — note the tree growing out and over the ruin

It was remarkable how the trees were growing around and slowly consuming the temple. The roots and the trunks of the trees looked like water that had flowed over the ruins and then become frozen.

Photo by Author — a tree growing over the temple — Ta Prohm (ប្រាសាទតាព្រហ្ម), Angkor Archaeological Park, Angkor, Cambodia
Photo by Author — a tree growing over the temple — Ta Prohm (ប្រាសាទតាព្រហ្ម), Angkor Archaeological Park, Angkor, Cambodia

When I looked at the temple, I wondered how much longer it would be around. The weight of the trees on the stonework, and the roots forcing their way into the cracks, must be causing a lot of damage to the structure.

Photo by Author — how can a building survive this happening to it — Ta Prohm (ប្រាសាទតាព្រហ្ម), Angkor Archaeological Park, Angkor, Cambodia
Photo by Author — how can a building survive this happening to it — Ta Prohm (ប្រាសាទតាព្រហ្ម), Angkor Archaeological Park, Angkor, Cambodia
Photo by Author — how can a building survive this happening to it — Ta Prohm (ប្រាសាទតាព្រហ្ម), Angkor Archaeological Park, Angkor, Cambodia
Photo by Author — how can a building survive this happening to it — Ta Prohm (ប្រាសាទតាព្រហ្ម), Angkor Archaeological Park, Angkor, Cambodia
Photo by Author — trees growing over Ta Prohm (ប្រាសាទតាព្រហ្ម), Angkor Archaeological Park, Angkor, Cambodia
Photo by Author — trees growing over Ta Prohm (ប្រាសាទតាព្រហ្ម), Angkor Archaeological Park, Angkor, Cambodia
Photo by Author — trees growing over the stonework at Ta Prohm (ប្រាសាទតាព្រហ្ម), Angkor Archaeological Park, Angkor, Cambodia
Photo by Author — trees growing over the stonework at Ta Prohm (ប្រាសាទតាព្រហ្ម), Angkor Archaeological Park, Angkor, Cambodia
Photo by Author — a lintel cracked by a tree — Ta Prohm (ប្រាសាទតាព្រហ្ម), Angkor Archaeological Park, Angkor, Cambodia
Photo by Author — a lintel cracked by a tree — Ta Prohm (ប្រាសាទតាព្រហ្ម), Angkor Archaeological Park, Angkor, Cambodia

In some parts of the temple, they had installed metal supports to help take the weight of the trees. Are the supports to keep the tree up or to prevent more damage to the buildings?

The trees were big, and if one fell, it could easily destroy a large part of the temple.

Photo by Author — metal supports — Ta Prohm (ប្រាសាទតាព្រហ្ម), Angkor Archaeological Park, Angkor, Cambodia
Photo by Author — metal supports — Ta Prohm (ប្រាសាទតាព្រហ្ម), Angkor Archaeological Park, Angkor, Cambodia
Photo by Author — metal supports — Ta Prohm (ប្រាសាទតាព្រហ្ម), Angkor Archaeological Park, Angkor, Cambodia
Photo by Author — metal supports — Ta Prohm (ប្រាសាទតាព្រហ្ម), Angkor Archaeological Park, Angkor, Cambodia

But, unfortunately, parts of Ta Prohm (ប្រាសាទតាព្រហ្ម) had succumbed to the forces of nature and collapsed.

Photo by Author — destruction at Ta Prohm (ប្រាសាទតាព្រហ្ម), Angkor Archaeological Park, Angkor, Cambodia
Photo by Author — destruction at Ta Prohm (ប្រាសាទតាព្រហ្ម), Angkor Archaeological Park, Angkor, Cambodia

As I ventured into the buildings and saw the collapsed stonework, I did wonder how safe I was and whether I should be inside.

Photo by Author — collapsed stonework — Ta Prohm (ប្រាសាទតាព្រហ្ម), Angkor Archaeological Park, Angkor, Cambodia
Photo by Author — collapsed stonework — Ta Prohm (ប្រាសាទតាព្រហ្ម), Angkor Archaeological Park, Angkor, Cambodia

As with the earlier temples I visited — Angkor Wat Temple (អង្គរវត្ត) and Angkor Thom (អង្គរធំ) — the quality of the stonework and the carvings were very impressive.

Photo by Author — Ta Prohm (ប្រាសាទតាព្រហ្ម), Angkor Archaeological Park, Angkor, Cambodia
Photo by Author — Ta Prohm (ប្រាសាទតាព្រហ្ម), Angkor Archaeological Park, Angkor, Cambodia
Photo by Author — Ta Prohm, Angkor Archaeological Park, Angkor, Cambodia
Photo by Author — Ta Prohm, Angkor Archaeological Park, Angkor, Cambodia
Photo by Author — Ta Prohm (ប្រាសាទតាព្រហ្ម), Angkor Archaeological Park, Angkor, Cambodia
Photo by Author — Ta Prohm (ប្រាសាទតាព្រហ្ម), Angkor Archaeological Park, Angkor, Cambodia
Photo by Author — Ta Prohm (ប្រាសាទតាព្រហ្ម), Angkor Archaeological Park, Angkor, Cambodia
Photo by Author — Ta Prohm (ប្រាសាទតាព្រហ្ម), Angkor Archaeological Park, Angkor, Cambodia

I liked Ta Prohm (ប្រាសាទតាព្រហ្ម). It was an impressive temple, and I liked how the jungle was slowly consuming it. I expected Dr Indiana Jones to appear at any moment.

Foursquare: Ta Prohm

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