Cho's Voyage in Jungle Temples, Cambodia, in the year 2000,
Part II in Continuing Series
Temple : Ta Prohm, Angkor, Bayon style, 12th to 13th Century
more photos of Ta Prohm in following weeks...
story tour boat Mekong Tonle Phnom Penh architect temple mountain city Hindu stupa Angkor Wat galleried bas-reliefs Thom Bayon head Baphuon Preah Khan Ta Prohm Banteay Srei Archaeo Siem Reap Jayavarman Buddh Mahayana Theravada Cambodia art history stone bronze wood statue sculpt south east Asia culture Bangkok travel Thailand voyage articles author art journal magazine museum expo gallery exhibit crafts photo graph show Korea Taiwan Nepal Sri Lanka India Thailand Burma Myanmar Bangladesh Laos Viet Nam Tibet Europe France French China Japan Book news Singapore Bhutan malaysia Mongolia bodhisattva Prajnaparamita Tara Zen Chan Tiantai Pure Land Akasagarbha Avalokitesvara Dharma Maitreya Sanskrit Khmer Cham Suryavarman Vishnu
In 1186, Jayavarman VII sponsored the creation of the Mahayana Buddhist monastery and university called Rajavihara or known today as Ta Prohm. These temples at Angkor are among the first and are part of the height of Buddhist architecture in Cambodia.
The main temple of Ta Prohm is dedicated to Jayavarman's mother, Sri Jayarajacudamani, and another temple in the complex, is dedicated to his brother. The sprawling complex was constructed to house over 12,500 people, priests, dancers, workers...
The temple grounds were left to the jungle's advances for almost five centuries (the fall of the Khmer Empire, 15th century till the early 20th century)
One can imagine how much jungle growth can occur in five centuries; I saw every day at each temple a full-time army of workers whose only job is beating back the jungle.
A French organization École Française d'Extrême-Orient, one of the first to do restoration work in the area, made the decision to leave Ta Prohm mostly as it is found due to the beauty of its equilibrium between architecture and jungle. The building and the jungle seems to have merged to a fine point, and is strangely harmonious and sumptuous at the same time.
These pictures were taken on my voyage in 2000; since then, the Archaeological survey of India, in 2010, has done further work in clearing some of the shrubbery. It is difficult for me to understand how they will engage in dislodging many of the trees without tearing apart the temples even further, but one can only guess at their ingenuity in restoration.
LOOK FOR MORE ON THE TEMPLE OF TA PROHM IN FOLLOWING WEEKS
photos of me taken by Peter Doolittle
Myself, trailing after temple staff
Buddha, believed to be discovered at Ta Prohm, Cambodia, stone, style Baphuon, photo taken at Musée Guimet.
story tour boat Mekong Tonle Phnom Penh architect temple mountain city Hindu stupa Angkor Wat galleried bas-reliefs Thom Bayon head Baphuon Preah Khan Ta Prohm Banteay Srei Archaeo Siem Reap Jayavarman Buddh Mahayana Theravada Cambodia art history stone bronze wood statue sculpt south east Asia culture Bangkok travel Thailand voyage articles author art journal magazine museum expo gallery exhibit crafts photo graph show Korea Taiwan Nepal Sri Lanka India Thailand Burma Myanmar Bangladesh Laos Viet Nam Tibet Europe France French China Japan Book news Singapore Bhutan malaysia Mongolia bodhisattva Prajnaparamita Tara Zen Chan Tiantai Pure Land Akasagarbha Avalokitesvara Dharma Maitreya Sanskrit Khmer Cham Suryavarman Vishnu