Ta Tuot Temple – Angkor Thom

Behind the 1^st tower, on the North Side of Prasat Suor Prat, there is a narrow dirt road leading into the Jungle.  Theoun (Chan) drove his tuk tuk as far as he could.  After parking and locking away our picnic lunch and refreshments, to prevent the monkeys from having a picnic in the jungle, we took to the path leading to the Ta Tuot Temple.

We walked around the temple site and in the back courtyard, we found a shrine, which one could see is taken care of and had been recently used.  There were fresh flowers and incense, which are usually offered for a blessing.

We made our way tentatively through a sea of dry leaves, towards the back of the courtyard.  We are always aware, that even though the areas around these temples have been cleared, we are actually walking inside a jungle and when the ground is covered in layers of dry leaves, you have no idea if you might be disturbing one of the jungle creatures that call this home, snakes being top of the list!

At the back of the courtyard, we found the original entrance to this temple, guarded by two elephants.  There was a dirt road leading off into the jungle (maybe an adventure for another day).

On researching the history of the temple, I was very disappointed that our guide had not told us to walk up and go into the actual temple itself, as inside this temple, there are apparently carvings of 37 Buddhas.  This temple is also one of a group of temples. 

So, I have made a mental note that when we are able to stroll along the Elephant Terrace and the Leper King Terrace (currently closed due to restoration), we will visit Angkor Thom and the Ta Tuot Temple again, this time going inside to see these Buddha carvings.

The peacefulness of the jungle is disturbed by the noisy sounds of a restoration site nearby.

It would appear that a family has made a makeshift home here, near the restoration site.  Maybe the mother, resting in the shade and taking care of her young children, prefers to be near her husband, who is possibly working on this restoration site.

We actually see this often in town on building sites. The workers put up makeshift homes, just like this, on the building site and they actually live like this for months while working on a building site.  Both women and men work on these building sites and we have seen so many women, carrying and laying bricks, doing hard manual labour, in the scorching heat of the sun.  

The temporary homes they put together on the building sites look very much like this makeshift home. Usually an open tented area, with wooden cots or hammocks to sleep on and a wooden table with a few utensils for mealtimes. 

It always amazes us how little some of the local Khmer people have, yet they are always smiling and happy.  We have learnt while living here that true happiness comes from within and that material possessions do not bring you peace. These people have so little and struggle to get by from day to day just to survive, but yet they seem at peace and always greet you with a smile. 

Their gentle, peaceful smiles remind me of the Buddha and the legacy he left. I don’t know about you, but when I see a Buddha statue, with his peaceful smile, I automatically feel peaceful.  ZEN!  It’s even become a fashion statement in the western world.  Everyone using Buddha statues to create a peaceful ZEN area in their homes.  Imagine leaving a legacy like that!  No matter who you are, when you see a Buddha statue, irrespective of your religion or beliefs, when you look at his peaceful smiling face, you feel peaceful!  This will always amaze me!

We spent some time walking around the restoration site and came across a small unrestored temple. 

It was clear from the mouldy blocks of sandstone, broken pieces of statues and carvings, that were scattered on the ground around this temple, that no restoration work had yet been done.  Maybe this unrestored temple would be part of the current restoration work underway in this already cleared section of the jungle.

It was time for a WC stop before leaving Angkor Thom.  While writing this blog I realized I don’t even know why they use the abbreviation WC for a toilet stop.  So, I googled it.  WC is an abbreviation for “water closet” (used by the British for a room that contains a toilet).

I must add that since we first visited the park in 2017, the toilets and rest stops (WC’s) have really improved.  We were really impressed with the cleanliness of the WC facilities.

We would be exiting Angkor Thom, this time at the North Gate.

This will be our next stop. 

See you there…