From the North gate of Angkor Thom, we drove north east to another temple build by King Jayavarman VII in the 12th century.
Take a walk with Richard and I to explore this absolute treasure.
It is not known who the King dedicated this small temple to. Some say to his father and some say, the temple was built and dedicated to one of the King’s teachers. Ta Som is relatively small compared with the many other temples built by this King.
They say that good things come in small packages and that is certainly true of Ta Som. This small Bayon-style temple is an absolute gem to visit and features towers with serene faces on the outer walls. This charming site also has many unique photo opportunities that Theoun (Chan) took advantage of, showing once again his amazing photography skills.
It is clear that there has been a small amount of restoration work done on this site. Wooden scaffolding has been placed at strategic points to prevent certain walls from collapsing.
Also, as all four of the Temple’s entrances are accessible to the public, these have probably been stabilized. The temple site is also cleared of debris.
At the back gate you will be greeted with an amazing view of a huge strangler fig tree that has grown around the gate. A very similar sight to what we saw when visiting Ta Prohm and another example of how difficult it must have been to uncover this ancient city and its temples, after having been swallowed up by the surrounding jungle.
The top branches of this massive fig tree had recently been cut, probably to lessen the weight on the gate way. However, this has not taken away from the beauty of this huge tree engulfing the entrance way. Roots of the tree have also grown over some of the carvings, so be sure not to miss these hidden treasures.
There are many well-preserved, finely carved stone sculptures, another artistic treasure to be enjoyed.
As this site is usually missed by tourists, it is quite deserted, so you can take your time enjoying the peace and quiet while listening to the melodic sound of the cicadas in the trees. Another reminder that this was once a dense jungle.
We leave the sanctuary of this amazing temple site to venture on to Preah Neak Poan, a Buddhist temple on a circular island which was also built during the reign of King Jayavarman VII.
In order to reach this island we need to walk across this lake of water.
This is going to be interesting…
See you there.