Where the Heck are You? - all Tangled up in Ta Prohm

... hidden within ...

From the corner of her eye, she glimpsed a butterfly, then some more. Fluttering on the afternoon breeze they lead the way. Through crumbling walls and tangled roots, searching shadows for jasmine, the wild flower of heaven. Lara chases a giggling girl within the Temple of Dancing Light.

Where the Heck are You?

- all Tangled up in Ta Prohm -

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Scenes from Tomb Raider, and several other movies, have used the Temple of Dancing Light, better known by its Angkorian Khmer name of Ta Prohm, as inspiration and backdrop for their tales.

Built at the end of the 12^th century by Angkor ruler Jayavarman VII, Ta Prohm was monastery and temple for monks of the rising Buddhist Khmer king. Jayavarman VII reclaimed Angkor after the mid century sacking by the neighboring Chams that bought down the reign of Suryavarman II and the majesty of the previous city-state of Angkor Wat. The knowing smile of the Bayon style Buddha head was modeled after Jayavarman VII, the most prolific of the Angkor area Khmer builders. He constructed his new Buddhist city-state of Angkor Thom just a couple kilometers north of Angkor Wat and surrounding the even older Khmer temple-city Baphuon.

Jayavarman’s vast construction projects were hastily built and utilized a grey coloured sandstone of lower quality than the pink hued stone quarried for Angkor Wat. Many of the temple complexes built by Jayavarman VII are badly damaged by time, war, and nature’s own distructive elements. When rediscovered by western explorers in the mid 1800’s, most all of the temples built around Angkor were being devoured by the jungles around them. Unlike many of the temples, Ta Prohm has been only partly cleared of the approaching jungle growth, which only serves to enhance its mystical and mysterious qualities.

Early in the day, most visitors are taking in the sights of Angkor Wat or the Bayon in Angkor Thom. Buried in the jungle a couple kilometers away from the main attractions, Ta Prohm is a good place to start the day. It was mostly deserted and eerily quiet, with just a few other explorers wandering through the ruins. When I arrived at Ta Prohm there were more guardians than visitors. The dearth of visitors turned into a serendipitous opportunity, as one of the guardians offered to guide me through the ruins. It was more like lead me around and point to things. The guardian’s command of English was about equal to my Khmer, very minimal; yet, we both understood that he knew the ruins and I wanted to explore them.

Instead of entering through the west gallery, as is typical for modern day visitors since the path from the road brings you to this part of the temple, the guardian took me around the outside of the temple to the main entrance. 

In its heyday, processions and pilgrims would have entered Ta Prohm from the east coming through the gate in the outer wall with the Bayon head watching the four cardinal points of the compass. The east gate to Ta Prohm is very similar to the majestic south gate of Angkor Thom but much smaller. We entered the temple by crossing a plaza guarded by carved stone lions and Nagas, the mythical seven-headed snake.

Once inside Ta Prohm, the guardian leads me along a maze of darkened corridors, passageways with floors pitched and walls bulging from the tangle of roots, past carvings of apsara dancers into the quiet, candle-lit, central chamber. We are greeted by the temple’s small seated Buddha that some pilgrims still come to offer prayers and give homage. The little Buddha has a child-like face, innocent, a distinct change from the enigmatic smiling Bayon face that is so common in the Angkor temples. Gifts of incense and a lotus bud have already been presented this morning.

After presenting some alms and lighting a stick of incense, we made our way down more passages, back towards the light, and into the inner plaza. This central courtyard displays nature’s torturing of Ta Prohm. Giant banyan trees with their tangle of secondary trunks and twisted roots, vines, mosses and other plants grow out of the sides and rooftops of the temple.

Ta Prohm was one of Jayavarman VII’s first constructions, and may have served as a model for the city Angkor Thom. Ta Prohm has a twin temple a couple kilometers to the west - Preah Khan or the Sacred Sword. The temples were built in honor of the Jayavarman VII’s parents. Preah Khan as a tribute to his father, power and the sword. The Temple of Dancing Light - Ta Prohm - for his mother. The tangled knots of roots are a great part of Ta Prohm’s charm and mystery. They are also the temple’s undoing, as fittingly, mother nature and her jungle try to reclaim the temple for their own.

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[additional resources]

 Landmines Leftovers and Legacies of War
 follow up article about the Siem Reap area.

Colours of Cambodia - a special
giftshop aiding landmine victims.

		MrBill, Gather Essentials: Travel Correspondent
	MrBill’s column, “Where the heck are You?”, is published twice monthly to Gather Essentials: Travel “Where the heck are You?” is the usual greeting I receive from friends and family since they are never quite sure just where I have been. “Where the heck are You?" is a traveler's column. Come with me for a journey to foreign shores, tropical locales, and places you may not have even heard of. Along the way I will introduce you to people; their cultures, art and cuisine, and together we will share an adventure. MrBill wanders and ponders. He is an avid traveler and photographer. He has extensive experience in the fields of Information Technology, Culinary Arts and Hospitality. Originally from the Rocky Mountains of Colorado, MrBill now resides in the Sierra Nevada Mountains around Tahoe. Keep up with all of MrBill's adventures by joining his network, or subscribing to his content.