!!!Ta Prohm temple
Photography by Stanislav Sedov and 
Dmitry Moiseenko,
members of the [AirPano Team|Geography/About/Consortium/AirPano,_Team] that is a member of the [global-geography Consortium|Geography/About/Consortium]. \\

11 December 2012

with kind permission of [AirPano|http://www.AirPano.com]

Cambodia, exotic state in Southeast Asia, dates back to 612 AD. Its most
famous monument is the temple complex of Angkor Wat, but it's not the
only thing to see here. Among other Cambodia landmarks are unspoilt
beaches, unique nature, museums, and churches.

The ancient city of Angkor used to be a capital of the ancient Khmer
Empire and one of the largest cities in the world. This huge complex of
buildings, covering about 600 square kilometers, was known far beyond
the Khmer Empire until it was destroyed by Siamese troops in 1431.

Till the end of the XIXth century, more than 100 palaces and temples
were concealed under the shadow of lush tropical forest, when a French
naturalist Henri Mouhot rediscovered it for humanity. In year 1992 the
whole territory of Angkor was taken under the protection of UNESCO.

Angkor became more famous when the blockbuster Lara Croft: Tomb Raider
were filmed there. One of the temples Ta Prohm is known even to those
who have never traveled to Cambodia before: this is where the most
impressive scenes were created.

[{Image src='01_Angelina Jolie in Lara Croft - Tomb Raider 2001.jpg' caption='Angelina Jolie in Lara Croft - Tomb Raider - 2001' alt='' width='900' popup='false' height='465'}]

Angelina Jolie in Lara Croft: Tomb Raider - 2001»

[{Image src='02_Angelina Jolie in Lara Croft - Tomb Raider 2001.jpg' caption='Angelina Jolie in Lara Croft - Tomb Raider — 2001' alt='' width='900' popup='false' height='507'}]

Of course, the scene where sexy heroine fights statues is no more than a
fiction. On the contrary, only peace and quiet fills this place and it
is shown in our panoramas.

[{Image src='03_Ta Prohm temple.jpg' caption='Ta Prohm temple' alt='' width='900' popup='false' height='644'}]

Ta Prohm is a beautiful temple, bound by massive roots of huge trees.
Back in the days it was very different: one could see walls decorated by
precious stones, hear beautiful music, and dancing in the halls. When in
late nineteenth century Ta Prohm was discovered by French, they decided
not to conduct a full-scale restoration of the temple. The decision was
made due to the fact that giant trees, such as ficus and silk tree, were
so merged with ancient walls that eventually they became whole. So now
we can see this unique Cambodia monument in the state it was discovered
by the researchers.

Angkor includes a number of majestic temples complexes, the most famous
of which is the "Temple City" of Angkor Wat. It was built as a temple
and mausoleum for King Suryavarman II in 1112-1152. It's considered to
be one of the biggest cult buildings in the world.

Angkor Wat is also called a "funeral" temple: the reason for its
construction was so that the king's ashes could be placed there. To
simply it, the purpose of this complex is the same as that of pyramids
of Egypt.

There is, however, a story about a divine origin of Angkor Wat. Legend
has it that the Angkor Wat in Cambodia was built by a son of Hindu god
Indra, Khmer King Preh Katomialia. One day he went to the heavenly
palace of his father, where everything was perfect, including the barn.
He loved the place reserved for the sacred animals so much, that he
decided to make its copy on Earth. And that is how a replica of Indra's
barn, Angkor Wat, came to existence.

[{Image src='04_Ta Prohm temple.jpg' caption='Ta Prohm temple' alt='' width='900' popup='false' height='644'}]

The complex is, indeed, very majestic. The central tower (with the
height of 65 meters) and four small surrounding towers represent the
five peaks of the sacred Mount Meru. The giant moat around the temple
(190 meters wide and over 5.5 kilometers in length) represents world
oceans. A stone-paved road leads to the lavishly decorated temple with a
form of a three-level pyramid.

In fact, Angkor Wat alone would be enough for Cambodia to make one of
the top countries with the most famous architectural ensembles. But this
monument is only a drop in the ocean! ??Angkor has dozens of other
incredible places to visit.

For example, Pre Rup is a huge temple mountain dedicated to Shiva. Its
name is translated from Khmer language as "turn the body." At the end of
the Xth century Pre Rup was a new capital of the Khmer Empire. The
complex is surrounded by a moat and a fence, and the main building is
located on a hill. A strange name comes from a cremation ceremony during
which the body was rotated on a funeral pyre. But nowadays, having lost
its dark atmosphere, it's considered to be the best place in Cambodia to
enjoy the sunset.

Among other grand monuments are Angkor Thom ("Great City") and a
three-level pyramid of Bayon. From a distance it looks like a bizarre
pile of huge stones, but from a closer look you can see amazing
bas-reliefs depicting various scenes from the everyday life of the
ancient Khmers, and the famous faces of Avalokitesvara, which are
executed with such skill that, depending on time of the day and the
angle of the sun, they seem to change their expression.

[{Image src='05_Ta Prohm, roots.jpg' caption='Ta Prohm, roots' alt='' width='900' popup='false' height='644'}]

There is also a unique Terrace of the Elephants which was used by Khmer
kings as 350 meter high platform to watch ceremonies in the main square
of Angkor Thom. In the southern part of Angkor lies West Baray, a giant
artificial lake measuring 7 X 1.8 kilometers.

There is another Khmer capital in Angkor vicinity: Hariharalaya built by
Jayavarman II. There are numerous interesting monuments on its
territory, including the five-level Bakong temple. Here you can also
find Phnom Kulen mountain and Kbal Spean river ("Valley of a thousand
lingas") with stone phallic symbols and statues of Gods at its bed.

[{Image src='06_Ta Prohm in the evening.jpg' caption='Ta Prohm in the evening' alt='' width='900' popup='false' height='606'}]

But it's pointless to give you all these brief descriptions of Cambodia
monuments: each one of them deserves its own article. And they say a
picture is worth a thousand words: it's time to see our panorama of Ta
Prohm.

Also you can see the previus tour about Angkor Wat temple complex. Other
temple tours are to be released in the near future.

\\ \\
[10 Panoramas of Ta Prohm temple|Geography/Asia/Cambodia/Pictures/Panoramas_of_Ta_Prohm_temple]










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