61. Ta Prohm - 2

Indiana Jones where are you?

Really you know, all we need is Indiana Jones and a bit of gung ho! and you could be right in the middle of a great adventure. Whizzing up that tree, leaping across to the red metal building bars on the other side - ah...this is the stuff that dreams are made of! I can just see myself in the role of whatsername - you know, the woman that screams all the time in his movie and him coming to the rescue - saving me from a fate worse than death!


Rock and rubble

You do need to watch were you're walking, there are so many massive stones, rocks and bits of building paraphernalia lying in assorted fashion as though they have been laid there artistically.

Above: Ta Prohm ruins
To the right were balustrades with carving at the top and bottom. If you enlarge the picture, you can see some in the far right.
Rather inconguous too are the four yellow workers' hard hats.

Above: Ta Prohm ruins
Large Banyan tree in the foreground.

Above: The leafy jungle
To give you some idea of the place, look at all the foliage. Now imagine that in an endless sea all around you, everywhere you turn. And when you crane your neck up to look at the sky - all you see is miles and miles of tree and leaves.

Above: Ta Prohm collage
You really are in another world seeing these giant trees taking over and growing out of the temple. Banyan, kapok and strangler figs spread and twist their roots over and under and around, their knobby roots looking like deformed snakes taking over everything it their wake.

Above: Floor plan of Ta Prohm

Did you know?
There is a Sanskrit inscription on stone, still in place, which give details of the temple.
Ta Prohm: 3,140 villages. It took 79,365 people to maintain the temple including 18 great priests, 2,740 officials, 2,202 assistants and 615 dancers. Among the property belonging to the temple was a set of golden dishes weighing more than 500 kgs, 35 diamonds, 40,620 pearls, 4,540 precious stones, 876 veils from China, 512 silk beds and 523 parasols. That's a lot of maintenance.



Ta Prohm
Date of Construction: Mid 12th/Early 13th century
Religious Affiliation: Buddhist
Patron or King: Jayavarman VII
Artistic/Archeo. Style: Bayon
Time to Visit: Anytime. Less crowded in the early morning. Good for middle of day due to shady trees.

60. Ta Prohm - 1

The Jungle Temple

The next temple I wanted to see was Ta Prohm - the "Jungle" temple. I had seen pictures of it and it was a child's dream - overgrown with trees and weeds and left to the jungle. The books all said it was a good choice for visiting in the middle of the day when the time is at its hottest because you are protected from the sun by a canopy of trees.

We drove along and soon arrived at a corner on the left hand side - a bit like a watering hole for horses in the country in Victorian times - people congregating outside a horse trough! Of course there were no horses' troughs or horses here, but that is what it felt like.

Meet me on the other side
My driver said to walk down there (he pointed the way) and told me he would meet me on the "other side". I looked at him skeptically and asked, "Where on the other side, how far is it?" He said the other entrance it was about a kilometere walk! The thought of walking for a kilometre in the heat wasn't very appealing on such a hot day, so I told him, "No. I'll meet you back here." He tried again, but I was adamant. Famous last words! I should've listened to him. By the time I had been walking for some distance I realised my error, but it was too far to walk a.l.l. the way back and say, "Listen, you were right Zola, I will meet you on the other side."

Another very important lesson
Always listen to your tuk tuk driver - he knows better than you, a mere tourist!☺ If I had the time over again, I would walk right back even if it was a long way to let him know.

Above: Disabled landmine musicians
Walking along this shady path way, these musicians were on the left hand side. They weren't playing though and I didn't hear them. I found out much later they do not play when you are there, they wait until you give some money and then begin playing. I feel terrible now that I didn't know this and that I didn't help in some way.

Above: Disabled landmine musicians
These men are victims of the landmines that were laid by the Khmer Rouge. Terrible wounds and tragedies inflicted on thousands of people by the communist regime - limbs lost, blindness and deformed, scarred faces.


Ta Prohm history

The temple is to the east of Angkor Thom and you enter from the west and leave from the east. Building on Ta Prohm began in 1186 AD. Originally known as Rajavihara (Monastery of the King), it was built by Jayavarman VII who dedicated it to his mother. Constructed originally as a Buddhist monastery, it was enormously wealthy in its time with control over 3000 villages, thousands of support staff and vast stores of jewels and gold.

Above: Ta Prohm
The temple is only partly cleared of jungle growth. It was quite different coming here, I almost felt like I was here as it was being built - all that brick and mortar and stuff lying around. As though the workmen had only just downed tools and knocked off for the day.

Above: Ta Prohm main entrance
Walking closer and seeing this empty ruin, I couldn't but help wonder how it must have looked in its hey day. I can very well imagine monks walking along the terraced verandah, chanting, their hands clasped in prayer. A sense of timeless beauty surrounds this eerie place, no doubt due to the quiet and the fact that it is a ruin in the middle of a jungle. The only sound was the sound of the birds swooping around the trees.