Meanwhile, back in Cambodia....
After our visit to Bayon Wat (here, here, here, and here) and The Terrace of The Elephants, we head next to Ta Prohm.
Ta Prohm ("The Temple of Brahma, The Ancestor") was initiated in A.D. 1186 by King Jayavarman VII (the builder of Bayon Wat). The temple was built in honour of his mother.
The temple is entirely made of dry mortared stone.
At one time, the bridge would have covered a shallow pond or lake.
At the peak of its grandeur, the temple had 12,500 people living here with 80,000 living in the surrounding villages to support it. It was recorded as a richly endowed temple. It was abandoned in the 15th Century A.D. as part of the fall of the Khmer Empire.
Dry mortared stone. And look how perfectly the bricks fit together. Amazing.
ReplyDeleteIt's interesting to compare and contrast these photos with the ones from Japan. Each reflects and preserves their own history and culture. It's fascinating how diverse people groups can be.
Leigh, I do not think I have ever seen the amount of fitted stone I saw in Cambodia. It was amazing.
DeleteI had not thought of it that way, but it does make for a great juxtaposition, coming so close in order. The differences are very apparent.
Echoing Leigh, that stone....working with you got. Makes me wonder if the materials that were in Roman concrete weren't available in SE Asia and Japan.
ReplyDeleteNylon12, I am not sure about the availability of materials. That said, stone (and personnel) were readily available. In that sense, similar to the Athenians building the Acropolis: the Parian marble quarries were relatively nearby and labour was plentiful.
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