Cambodia

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

Nick Morris

Nick Morris

— 3 min read

Still exploring Ta Prohm (ប្រាសាទតាព្រហ្ម)

September 2015

I continued to explore Ta Prohm (ប្រាសាទតាព្រហ្ម). For more information on Ta Prohm (ប្រាសាទតាព្រហ្ម), see Wikipedia.

The temple complex was impressive. The trees were magnificent.

When the temples of the Angkor Archaeological Park were being restored in the early 1900s, it was decided that Ta Prohm (ប្រាសាទតាព្រហ្ម) should be stabilised and not fully restored. That is, the temple was left in its current state. Walls and roofs were not rebuilt, and trees were not removed. This approach explains why so much of the temple has the look and feel it does today.

Photo by Author — one big tree and one small selfie stick — Ta Prohm (ប្រាសាទតាព្រហ្ម), Angkor Archaeological Park, Angkor, Cambodia
Photo by Author — one big tree and one small selfie stick — 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 — a stunning tree — Ta Prohm (ប្រាសាទតាព្រហ្ម), Angkor Archaeological Park, Angkor, Cambodia
Photo by Author — a stunning tree — Ta Prohm (ប្រាសាទតាព្រហ្ម), Angkor Archaeological Park, Angkor, Cambodia

The way the trees grew over the stones and pushed their roots into the buildings was remarkable.

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

Having looked around the outside of the complex, I decided to venture inside.

Photo by Author — inside Ta Prohm (ប្រាសាទតាព្រហ្ម), Angkor Archaeological Park, Angkor, Cambodia
Photo by Author — inside Ta Prohm (ប្រាសាទតាព្រហ្ម), Angkor Archaeological Park, Angkor, Cambodia
Photo by Author — inside Ta Prohm (ប្រាសាទតាព្រហ្ម), Angkor Archaeological Park, Angkor, Cambodia
Photo by Author — inside Ta Prohm (ប្រាសាទតាព្រហ្ម), Angkor Archaeological Park, Angkor, Cambodia
Photo by Author — inside Ta Prohm (ប្រាសាទតាព្រហ្ម), Angkor Archaeological Park, Angkor, Cambodia
Photo by Author — inside Ta Prohm (ប្រាសាទតាព្រហ្ម), Angkor Archaeological Park, Angkor, Cambodia
Photo by Author — inside Ta Prohm (ប្រាសាទតាព្រហ្ម), Angkor Archaeological Park, Angkor, Cambodia
Photo by Author — inside 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’m sure (I hope) the structures were safe to explore, but when you see some of the collapsed sections, you know you wouldn’t want to be in that room when it collapsed. The stone blocks were huge.

I liked exploring Ta Prohm (ប្រាសាទតាព្រហ្ម). As with Angkor Thom (អង្គរធំ), Ta Prohm (ប្រាសាទតាព្រហ្ម) felt like a more authentic experience when compared to Angkor Wat (អង្គរវត្ត). If you go to the Angkor Archaeological Park, don’t only visit Angkor Wat (អង្គរវត្ត); make the time to visit the other temples.

Ta Prohm (ប្រាសាទតាព្រហ្ម) was my last temple on day 1 of my tour of the Siem Reap area and the Angkor Archaeological Park. I enjoyed the day; it had been interesting and educational — I could have done without the rain!

Foursquare: Ta Prohm (ប្រាសាទតាព្រហ្ម)

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