Cambodia: Siem Reap Part 11 - More From The Ta Prohm Temple
Jan 13, 2023 15:32:57 #
Here are some additional photos from this magnificent ancient temple.
Also, I've included a narrative from the website: https://www.lonelyplanet.com/cambodia/temples-of-angkor/attractions/ta-prohm/a/poi-sig/500632/1002179
The so-called 'Tomb Raider Temple', Ta Prohm is cloaked in dappled shadow, its crumbling towers and walls locked in the slow muscular embrace of vast root systems. Undoubtedly the most atmospheric ruin at Angkor, Ta Prohm should be high on the hit list of every visitor. Its appeal lies in the fact that, unlike the other monuments of Angkor, it has been swallowed by the jungle, and looks very much the way most of the monuments of Angkor appeared when European explorers first stumbled upon them.
Well, that’s the theory, but in fact the jungle is pegged back and only the largest trees are left in place, making it manicured rather than raw like Beng Mealea. Still, a visit to Ta Prohm is a unique, other-worldly experience. There is a poetic cycle to this venerable ruin, with humanity first conquering nature to rapidly create, and nature once again conquering humanity to slowly destroy. If Angkor Wat is testimony to the genius of the ancient Khmers, Ta Prohm reminds us equally of the awesome fecundity and power of the jungle.
Built from 1186 and originally known as Rajavihara (Monastery of the King), Ta Prohm was a Buddhist temple dedicated to the mother of Jayavarman VII. It is one of the few temples in the Angkor region where an inscription provides information about the temple’s dependents and inhabitants. Almost 80,000 people were required to maintain or attend at the temple, among them more than 2700 officials and 615 dancers.
Ta Prohm is a temple of towers, closed courtyards and narrow corridors. Many of the corridors are impassable, clogged with jumbled piles of delicately carved stone blocks dislodged by the roots of long-decayed trees. Bas-reliefs on bulging walls are carpeted with lichen, moss and creeping plants, and shrubs sprout from the roofs of monumental porches. Trees, hundreds of years old, tower overhead, their leaves filtering the sunlight and casting a greenish pall over the whole scene.
The most popular of the many strangulating root formations is the one on the inside of the easternmost gopura (entrance pavilion) of the central enclosure, nicknamed the Crocodile Tree. One of the most famous spots in Ta Prohm is the so-called Tomb Raider tree, where Angelina Jolie’s Lara Croft picked a jasmine flower before falling through the earth into…Pinewood Studios.
It used to be possible to climb onto the damaged galleries, but this is now prohibited, to protect both temple and visitor. Many of these precariously balanced stones weigh a tonne or more and would do some serious damage if they came down. Ta Prohm is currently under stabilisation and restoration by an Indian team of archaeologists working with their Cambodian counterparts.
The temple is at its most impressive early in the day. Allow as much as two hours to visit, especially if you want to explore the maze-like corridors and iconic tree roots.
For more images of Siem Reap and narratives, please see my previous posts:
https://www.uglyhedgehog.com/t-760858-1.html#13633063
https://www.uglyhedgehog.com/t-761100-1.html#13638505
https://www.uglyhedgehog.com/t-761169-1.html
https://www.uglyhedgehog.com/t-761242-1.html
https://www.uglyhedgehog.com/t-761379-1.html
https://www.uglyhedgehog.com/t-761630-1.html
https://www.uglyhedgehog.com/t-761797-1.html#13655239
https://www.uglyhedgehog.com/t-761937-1.html
https://www.uglyhedgehog.com/t-762169-1.html
The first set from Ta Prohm:
https://www.uglyhedgehog.com/t-762322-1.html#13669002
I hope you enjoy this set!
Mark
Also, I've included a narrative from the website: https://www.lonelyplanet.com/cambodia/temples-of-angkor/attractions/ta-prohm/a/poi-sig/500632/1002179
The so-called 'Tomb Raider Temple', Ta Prohm is cloaked in dappled shadow, its crumbling towers and walls locked in the slow muscular embrace of vast root systems. Undoubtedly the most atmospheric ruin at Angkor, Ta Prohm should be high on the hit list of every visitor. Its appeal lies in the fact that, unlike the other monuments of Angkor, it has been swallowed by the jungle, and looks very much the way most of the monuments of Angkor appeared when European explorers first stumbled upon them.
Well, that’s the theory, but in fact the jungle is pegged back and only the largest trees are left in place, making it manicured rather than raw like Beng Mealea. Still, a visit to Ta Prohm is a unique, other-worldly experience. There is a poetic cycle to this venerable ruin, with humanity first conquering nature to rapidly create, and nature once again conquering humanity to slowly destroy. If Angkor Wat is testimony to the genius of the ancient Khmers, Ta Prohm reminds us equally of the awesome fecundity and power of the jungle.
Built from 1186 and originally known as Rajavihara (Monastery of the King), Ta Prohm was a Buddhist temple dedicated to the mother of Jayavarman VII. It is one of the few temples in the Angkor region where an inscription provides information about the temple’s dependents and inhabitants. Almost 80,000 people were required to maintain or attend at the temple, among them more than 2700 officials and 615 dancers.
Ta Prohm is a temple of towers, closed courtyards and narrow corridors. Many of the corridors are impassable, clogged with jumbled piles of delicately carved stone blocks dislodged by the roots of long-decayed trees. Bas-reliefs on bulging walls are carpeted with lichen, moss and creeping plants, and shrubs sprout from the roofs of monumental porches. Trees, hundreds of years old, tower overhead, their leaves filtering the sunlight and casting a greenish pall over the whole scene.
The most popular of the many strangulating root formations is the one on the inside of the easternmost gopura (entrance pavilion) of the central enclosure, nicknamed the Crocodile Tree. One of the most famous spots in Ta Prohm is the so-called Tomb Raider tree, where Angelina Jolie’s Lara Croft picked a jasmine flower before falling through the earth into…Pinewood Studios.
It used to be possible to climb onto the damaged galleries, but this is now prohibited, to protect both temple and visitor. Many of these precariously balanced stones weigh a tonne or more and would do some serious damage if they came down. Ta Prohm is currently under stabilisation and restoration by an Indian team of archaeologists working with their Cambodian counterparts.
The temple is at its most impressive early in the day. Allow as much as two hours to visit, especially if you want to explore the maze-like corridors and iconic tree roots.
For more images of Siem Reap and narratives, please see my previous posts:
https://www.uglyhedgehog.com/t-760858-1.html#13633063
https://www.uglyhedgehog.com/t-761100-1.html#13638505
https://www.uglyhedgehog.com/t-761169-1.html
https://www.uglyhedgehog.com/t-761242-1.html
https://www.uglyhedgehog.com/t-761379-1.html
https://www.uglyhedgehog.com/t-761630-1.html
https://www.uglyhedgehog.com/t-761797-1.html#13655239
https://www.uglyhedgehog.com/t-761937-1.html
https://www.uglyhedgehog.com/t-762169-1.html
The first set from Ta Prohm:
https://www.uglyhedgehog.com/t-762322-1.html#13669002
I hope you enjoy this set!
Mark
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Three lovely ladies - with apologies for cutting off Gail's feet again.
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The kids are always smiling!
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Our group leaving the Temple grounds
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Note the tree roots incorporated into the stones on the right.
(Download)
Jan 13, 2023 15:33:41 #
Jan 13, 2023 15:34:37 #
Jan 13, 2023 16:26:20 #
Amazing structures! I hope they do some restoration before it's too late.
Another great set, Mark.
Another great set, Mark.
Jan 13, 2023 17:48:12 #
Jan 13, 2023 18:58:01 #
Jan 13, 2023 18:59:01 #
ecobin wrote:
Amazing structures! I hope they do some restoration before it's too late.
Another great set, Mark.
Another great set, Mark.
Thanks very much Elliott. They started restoration in 2013. Our visit was in 2007.
Jan 13, 2023 18:59:22 #
Jan 13, 2023 21:00:13 #
srfmhg wrote:
Here are some additional photos from this magnific... (show quote)
It looks like an amazing place to visit and your photos do a great job of taking us there.
Jan 13, 2023 21:01:51 #
DJphoto wrote:
It looks like an amazing place to visit and your photos do a great job of taking us there.
Thanks so much Dennis. Glad I could do that!
Jan 13, 2023 21:38:45 #
Jan 14, 2023 05:28:17 #
Jan 14, 2023 05:35:53 #
Jan 14, 2023 06:59:43 #
Jan 14, 2023 07:21:51 #
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