Disappointment at Ta Prohm – Cambodia blog entry #18

 

Afterwandering around the magnificent Angkor Wat temple and grounds for over threeand a half hours, we hopped into our tuk tuk for the short drive to Ta Prohm temple. 

Alsocalled the Jungle Temple, it is a sprawling monastic-like complex where much ofthe jungle overgrowth has been left in place. 

Itwas built in the late 12th and early 13th centuries without mortar, by theKhmer King Jayavarman VII as a Mahayana Buddhist monastery and center oflearning dedicated to his mother. After it was abandoned, trees took root inthe loosened stones. 

Thetrees eerily growing out of the ruins and the jungle have made it a populartemple with visitors to the area. Unfortunately, I feel, it is also popular forbeing the site of scenes from the Angeline Jolie movie “Lara Croft: Tomb Raider”. 

Youcan have your picture taken at the classic giant tree where Angeline Jolie stood in the movie. And Ifound the commercialization disappointing.   

Howcan a film made in 2001 compare to at temple built over eight hundred years ago? And then call it the Tomb Raider Temple? 

Ok, it was still ridicously cool. And I can only imagine how beautiful it had been in its day.