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My Favorite Photo of Ta Prohm
The roots of the trees look like live chicken feet. It is an eerie, but interesting feeling. I really thought that after seeing Angkor Wat itself, everything else would be a big disappointment. Needless to say, I was wrong. While I read everything I could find on Angkor Wat itself, I found Ta Prohm to be the most interesting and intriguing of all the Angkor complex. Let me try to explain why.
The first thing about the short walk to Ta Prohm is passing by the mine victims. The dirt road in the jungle is lined with mine victims, playing musical instruments, like a band. They are too proud to beg outright, so have designed another means to draw attention to them and their countries plight. The mines were placed and left by Pol Pot, and the Khmer Rouge. We could not pass without making a donation, as they receive no government assistance.
Ta Prohm is the undisputed capital of the kingdom of the Trees. It has been left untouched by archaeologists except for the clearing of a path for visitors and structural strengthening to stave of further deterioration. Because of its natural state, it is possible to experience at this temple the wonder of the early explorers when they came upon these monuments in the middle of
I Love This Place
As special as it feels for us now, can you imagine how the Khmer felt back when they worshiped here? the nineteenth century. The trees are mainly silk cottonwoods and strangler figs. I expect to see Angelina Jolie running away from her captors in "Tomb Raider" at any moment.
The dense jungle within the temple of Ta Prohm is eerie and romantic all at once. Fig, banyan and kapok trees spread their gigantic roots over stones, poking through walls and terraces, as their branches and leaves intertwine to form a canopy over the structures. Trunks of trees twist between stone pillars. The strangeness of the place takes you over,as the roots have wound themselves about the walls. My first impression is that the trees looked like giant chicken feet, so alive and ready to move.
Ta Prohm is among the largest of the monuments in the Angkor complex, the detail gives an idea of the size of the temple. The complex included 260 statues of gods, 39 towers with pinnacles and 566 groups of residences. Ta Prohm comprises a series of long low buildings standing on one level, which are enclosed by rectangular laterite wall (600 by 1,000 meters, 1,959 by 3,281 feet). Only traces of the wall are still visible. The center of the monument is reached by a
Roadside Vendors
Locals support themselves in every way, including selling souvenirs, books, and refreshments at every venue. series of towers connected with passages. This arrangement forms a ' sort of sacred way into the heart of the monument’; three-square galleries enclose the area. We walked through these narrow passageways, and could feel the inspiration and beauty of this unique place.
Construction on Ta Prohm began in 1186 AD. Originally known as Rajavihara (Monastery of the King), Ta Prohm was a Buddhist temple (rather than Hindu) dedicated to the mother of King Jayavarman VII. A rare inscription at Ta Prohm provides statistics on the temple's workers. Allowing for some exaggeration to honor the king, the inscription's report of around 80,000 workers. An additional 80,000 villagers were needed to provide support services to the temple inhabitants. Ta Prohm was looted quite heavily in recent years due to its relative isolation, and many of its ancient stone statues have been lost. They say much of it is located in the U.S. and China.
Though much of Ta Prohm is in ruins, it is still possible to explore the corridors and passageways beneath the foliage. The 39 original towers are no longer accessible, to prevent further damage or looting. We were able to find a Buddhist monk offering to light incense
Typical Transportation
We tried this, but found that an air conditioned Toyota Camry with ice cold bottled water was preferable on hot Cambodian days. for a small donation. Hopefully, this gave us some idea of how they worshipped back in the early part of the Khmer empire.
I never thought I would be so taken with a place like this. The unique features of the trees intertwined into the temple are quite symbolic. The powerful forces of the present and future impact the past, or is the other way around? Needless to say, it is now one of my favorite places in the world. I hope each of you get a chance to see this most unforgettable and beautiful place. We just love this part of Cambodia.
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