Ta Prohm Temple

Last updated on Aug 29, 2010

The Ta Prohm temple was built by Jayavarman the 7th in 1186 for his mother, and you can clearly see that it was built out of love.

You should go to Ta Prohm Temple:

.... If you`re a nature lover
... Enjoyed the wild beautiful scenes from the first Tomb Raider movie
If you want to walk among giants!

First, a tip:

My driver told me that we should head for this temple next because
most people go to Bantay Srei after Angkor Watt.

I was still shocked by all the people at Angkor Watt, so I followed his advice!

When I arrived by the entrance to the temple (around 7:00), the guy was right! The place was so calm, and there were only a few people. I felt relaxed again.

Note: Don`t get me wrong though!

Ta Prohm Temple site can be crowded, but this depends highly on your timing...

When you get there ...

...your chances of running into a pack of kids who want to sell stuff is pretty much there.

By the entrance, a small group of cute children ran towards me and wanted to sell home-made bracelets.

At first, I hesitated and started walking towards the entrance. Three of them went back to their parents, but two of them followed me. Then they showed me the puppy-look...

I`m a sucker for it and bought five bracelets (came in handy as gifts later).
Gave them 5 dollars even though they told me 3 dollars.

Updated on Aug 29, 2010: The last time we visited Ta Prohm in April 2010, small begging children were gone. In fact, begging at all the temple sites we visited had in fact been banned. No limb-less beggars either. It made our Angkor experience a lot more easier.

Banyan trees?

This type of tree can live for 100s of years. A Banyan tree is a Indian fig tree found in tropic areas. The trees send out roots from their branches and they form as enormous trunks.

And when you get inside the entrance you have to walk on a path for 5-10 minutes before you get there.

The most amazing part about this place was the roots of the gigantic and majestic Banyan trees.

It was just breathtaking to watch how the roots have crawled and probed the temple`s cracks and corners, and splitted the stones apart. And I`m not talking about twigs, but roots on a size of a anaconda or something.

Imagining how alive the nature is, can make you feel..kind of.. insignificant compared to it, and I don`t mean it in a bad way!

But much of the temple is unfortunately in poor condition.