Ta Phrom is different from Angkor Wat and Bayon Temple of Angkor Thom for one basic reason. Upon the discovery of the temples of Angkor in the 19th century, Ta Phrom was chosen to be left in it's "natural state", as an example of how most of Angkor looked when discovered by Europeans.
Work on Ta Phrom involved a significant amount of effort and ingenuity to prevent further collapse as well as just enough clearing to allow access. What an inspiration! Ta Phrom is truly beautiful, a romantic image, weathering the effects of time, compromising with decrepitude, balancing decay with majesty!
Ta Phrom today is one of the most visited temples in Angkor and for good reason. One rarely sees trees and plants mesh with ruins like this:
Ta Phrom was a temple monastery, occupying 1 hectare of the total 60 hectares that comprise Ta Phrom. It is hard to imagine the size of the complex based on it's ruins today.
The walls are replete with bas relief etchings.
The enclosures are littered with fallen masonry.
And amongst the ruins and the roots of trees that cling to them, the divatas stand witness.
Ta Phrom does have an atmosphere, you feel it as you walk around the ruins. It is no wonder then why this became the setting for Angelina Jolie's movie. It is rather sad though that even the little boys we encountered around the ruins now call it "Tomb Raider's Temple".
The walls are replete with bas relief etchings.
The enclosures are littered with fallen masonry.
And amongst the ruins and the roots of trees that cling to them, the divatas stand witness.
Ta Phrom does have an atmosphere, you feel it as you walk around the ruins. It is no wonder then why this became the setting for Angelina Jolie's movie. It is rather sad though that even the little boys we encountered around the ruins now call it "Tomb Raider's Temple".
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