After the fall of the Khmer Empire in the 15th Century A.D., Ta Prohm was abandoned. The jungle moved back in and the years took a toll on the structure.
In the early 20th Century as decisions were made on the restoration of such things, the decision was made to stabilize the temple but leave it largely as it was without restoration. It now sits, surrounded and infiltrated by trees, their roots draping over the stones like the coils of an anaconda.
The temple, even in its current ruined state, is remarkable.
I suppose there are so many potential restoration projects that they have to pick and choose. But even its state of disrepair is a record of its remarkable history.
ReplyDeleteLeigh, the really surprising thing to me is that - given the state we see it in and the surrounding forest - that at one time it was a hub of activity.
DeleteCenturies don't mean much to trees TB and with current economic conditions how many organizations have the funds to attempt restoration?
ReplyDeleteNylon12, interestingly (per Wikipedia) there has been a fair amount of interest from Indian and Buddhist organizations.
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