Ta Prom Temple and Its Representational Arts

Unlike most of the temples of Angkor, ta prom has been mostly left to the clutches of the living jungle. With its interaction between nature and art, this atmospheric temple may be a favorite for several - who cannot help but feel slightly like Indiana Jones or Lara croft (which was filmed here) as they choose through the rubble.

During the 17th century after the fall of the Khmer Empire, Ta Prom was abandoned and neglected for hundreds of years. Once the effort to restore the temples of Angkor began within the early twenty first century, the École française d'Extrême-Orient determined that ta prom would be left for the most part because it had been found, as a concession to the general style for the picturesque. Consistent with pioneering Angkor scholar Maurice Glaize, Ta Prom was singled out because it had been one of the foremost imposing temples and also the one that act unified with the jungle, however not yet to the purpose of changing into a part of it. However, much work has been done to stabilize the ruins, to allow access, and to take care of "this condition of apparent neglect."


As of 2013, archeologic Survey of India has restored most components of the temple complex a number of which are made from scratch. Wooden walkways, platforms and roped railings are put in place round the site to shield the monument from any damages because of the massive traveler inflow.

Representational Art

Ta prom has not several narrative bas-reliefs (as compared to Angkor Wat or Angkor Thom). One clarification that has been proffered for this dearth is that abundant of the temple's original Buddhist narrative design should have been ruined by Hindu revolutionaries after the death of Jayavarman 7. Some depictions of scenes from mythology do remain. One badly tough sculpture illustrates the "Great Departure" of Siddhartha, the future Buddha, from his father's palace. The temple conjointly features stone reliefs of devas as (minor feminine deities), meditating monks or ascetics, and temple guardians.

What to examine at Ta Prom

Great trees tower on top of ta prom, their leaves filtering the daylight, providing welcome shade and casting a dark-green lightweight over the supernatural site. Exquisitely sculptured reliefs on the walls sprout lichen, nonvascular plant and crawling plants.

Some as wide as an oak tree, the vines at ta prom cleave huge stones in 2 and spill over the highest of temple ramparts. The effect is hanging, particularly at the strangling root creation on the inside of the east entrance pavilion.


Ta prom is extensively ruined, however you can still explore various towers, close courtyards and slender corridors, discovering hidden gems of stone reliefs below the intrusive foliage. Many of the corridors are impassible, due to the hugger-mugger piles of sculptured stone blocks that clog their interiors.

There are thirty-nine towers at ta prom that are connected by various galleries. The outside wall of the compound is 1km by 600m and the entrance gates have the classic Jayavarman face. Most guests enter from the west gate, and a few drivers can conform to pick you abreast of the opposite facet. A line of out-of-door eateries is simply outside the main entrance to ta prom, popular places for a snack or lunch.