To "Ta Prohm"

Known to many travelers as the "Kingdom of Contradictions," the Kingdom of Cambodia is exactly that.  From beauty to neglect, rich to poor, and even new to old, Cambodia is filled with hidden treasures for the curious traveler to uncover.  That's where we head to today, so buckle up; we are about to travel not only across the globe from our last destination, but also back in time: hundreds of years ago!

Ta Prohm Temple in Angkor, Cambodia.  Photo courtesy of visitwonders.com

The Ta Prohm Temple is known by several different names.  Depending on who one is speaking with, this same temple may be referred to as the "temple of Angkor" or "Rajavihara."

Sometime between the 12th and 13th Century, the Ta Prohm Temple was built under the order of Khmer King Jayavarman VII.  The temple was originally built to be a Mahayana Buddhist monastery and university.  It then became a very well-known temple, but as the Khmer Empire fell, Ta Prohm was abandoned.  It went centuries without any visitors.

Roots are seen growing through the temple.  Photo courtesy of WordPress.com

Finally the 21st Century comes around, as do some visitors.  The Ta Prohm finally had somebody wondering about its history and try to restore its natural beauty.  Unfortunately, there is not a single photograph of the original, functioning temple - which makes sense considering that was hundreds of years before the camera was invented - but nevertheless, there is no possible way to fully restore the temple.

In 1992, UNESCO added Ta Prohm to the World Heritage List.

As of 2013, the Archeological Survey of India has maintained most of the temple, making sure that it is safe for visitors to walk into.  Many of the restorations were done by scratch.  The Archeological Survey of India is content with the rehab that was put in, for they wanted to make sure that the temple was safe, yet still showed the neglect it received throughout the centuries.

 

Inside the temple.  Photo courtesy of WTFoto.com and tripideas.org

Legend has it that King Jayavarman VII constructed Ta Prohm in honor of his family.  Details inside the temple are modeled after his mother, father, brother and guru.  Remains of those artifacts still reside inside the temple.

There is much, much more history and beauty than I can put into words in this week's blog post.  If you are interested in learning more about the Ta Prohm Temple, start off with a virtual panoramic tour, provided by Air Pano.

That's all for this week!  Remember to stop by next Wednesday as we reveal the next hidden wonder. Until then!