Angkor temples

Ta Prohm

This temple was built by king Jayavarman VII as a Buddhist temple, consecrated in 1186 and dedicated to his mother. TA Prohm housed the deity Prajnaparamita, the "perfection of wisdom." It is otherworldly in aspect and has an enchanting romantic appearance. It was one of the largest Khmer constructions of the Angkorian period.

The Sanskrit inscriptions witness about the temple's size and function. It owned 3,140 villages, it took 79,365 people to maintain the temple including 18 high priests, 2,740 officials, 2,202 assistants and 615 dancers. Among the properties belonging to the temple was a set of golden dishes weighing more than 500 kilograms, 35 diamonds, 40,620 pearls, 4,540 precious stones, 876 Chinese veils, 512 silk beds and 523 parasols.

The temple was the headquarters of a vast hospital network created by the king.  From Ta Prohm, supplies were dispatched to 102 hospitals located throughout the empire.

The east entrance is marked by a gopura in the outer rampart of the temple. A sandstone hall just north of the gopura, distinguished by large, square pillars, is known as the Hall of Dancers.

The central sanctuary is prominent for the absence of decoration. Its original covering, metal sheets, stucco and gilding, has since disappeared.

Over the centuries the all-devouring jungle has taken over this temple and huge trees. Huge fig, bayan and kapok trees spread their gigantic roots in between the stones and are tearing this structure apart. 

Courtyards and cloisters are blocked by jumbled piles of carved stones, dislocated by roots of trees that have since perished.