Ta Prohm is and should be on the list of every visitor to Cambodia’s Siem Reap. Nicknamed The Tomb Raider Temple as it was used a location for the filming of Tomb Raider with Angelina Jolie as Lara Croft. It’s also unfortunate that it’s one of the temples that is least well preserved among the popular Angkor temples.
Although, there is now a restriction on climbing some of the towers, walking around the site will still leave your in awe are you take in Ta Prohm’s atmospheric ruins. It’s almost as if the jungle wants to swallow up and reclaim the jungle as its own again.
Ta Prohm was built in 1186 and was originally know as Rajavihara or Monastery of the King and it’s also said to be the only one with inscriptions providing details about the temple’s dependents and inhabitants. Around 80, 000 people would have been required to maintain or attend the temple.
Though, looking at the state of it now, you wonder how they could have let go and thought nature would reclaim its land back. Many of the corridors are impassable, crumbling towers rendered too dangerous and precious to climb. Plants, trees, shrubs all fighting their way through bricks have stated their claim on the site and they seem to be winning.
Winning they may be, and a great expense too as the more land they reclaim the more humanity loses such a beautiful and historical site more over the more cryptic, captivating the scenery at Ta Prohm. Although some of these sights are now beeing restored and maintained in a bid to hold on to them, I wouldn’t wait too long to visit Cambodia.
Below are some of my pictures from our visit to Ta Prohm.
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