Photo Tour Friday: Tomb Raider Temple at Angkor

Photos of Ta Prohm, aka the Tomb Raider Temple at Angkor

Watching the sunrise above Angkor Wat was pretty incredible, as was touring Angkor Wat and seeing the views from the third “heaven” level. However, my favorite ruin of the Angkor temples is not world-famous Angkor Wat; it is the Ta Prohm temple. The temple has also been nicknamed the “Tomb Raider” temple, a moniker given to it after Angelina Jolie and company filmed the Tomb Raider movie there in the early 2000s. And let me tell you, Cambodians LOVE Ms. Jolie. Brad Pitt’s other half was not, however, why I loved the ruins of Ta Prohm so much. Entering what’s left of the temple of Ta Prohm literally feels like you’ve stepped into some mystic world, mainly due to the massive banyan trees, which have crazy, massive, thick roots. Over the centuries the roots have grown into and around the ruins, like sneaky snakes staking their claim on the land. In fact, a complete renovation overhaul has not been completed with Ta Prohm as has occurred with the other temples of Angkor since it would disrupt the trees and surrounding jungle too much. So going here is really like stepping back into a lost land that time forgot about.

The bridge leading to the "Tomb Raider" ruins.

The thick, bright green water around the bridge leading to the ruins.

A tangle of roots.

Tree branches creeping over the ledge of a wall.

Part of the ruins.

These roots look like an alien hand stretching over the wall to me. Scary roots!

Hiding in the huge tree.

A big tree root snaking around part of the ruins.

Tagged as: Angkor Wat, Cambodia, Ta Prohm, Tomb Raider Temple

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