Ta Prohm Temple – One of the most visited complexes in Cambodia’s Angkor region

Ta Prohm is the modern name of the temple at Angkor, Siem Reap Province, Cambodia. It was built in the Bayon style largely in the late 12th...

Ta Prohm is the modern name of the temple at Angkor, Siem Reap Province, Cambodia. It was built in the Bayon style largely in the late 12th and early 13th centuries and it was originally called Rajavihara. The temple is located approximately one kilometre east of Angkor Thom and on the southern edge of the East Baray, it was founded by the Khmer King Jayavarman VII as a Mahayana Buddhist monastery and university.

Unlike most Angkorian temples, this temple has been left in much the same condition in which it was found: the photogenic and atmospheric combination of trees growing out of the ruins and the jungle surroundings have made it one of Angkor’s most popular temples with visitors.

In 1186 A.D., Jayavarman VII embarked on a massive program of construction and public works. Rajavihara (“monastery of the king”), today known as Ta Prohm (“ancestor Brahma”), was one of the first temples founded pursuant to that program. The stele commemorating the foundation gives a date of 1186 A.D.