Ta Prohm is one of the fantastic temples near Siem Reap Province, Cambodia. Built in the Bayon style largely in the late 12th and early 13th centuries and originally called Rajavihara. It is 1 kilometre east of Angkor Thom, it was founded by the Khmer King Jayavarman VII as a Mahayana Buddhist monastery and university. Unlike most Angkorian temples, Ta Prohm has been left in much the same condition in which it was found: the photogenic and atmospheric combination of trees growing out of the ruins and the jungle surroundings have made it one of Angkor's most popular temples with visitors.

There was a very large restroration going on in one part of the temple while I visited (in 2012). I would imagine they will strive to keep the iconic trees seeming to grow from the temple buildings.

After the fall of the Khmer empire in the 15th century, the temple of Ta Prohm was abandoned and neglected for centuries. When the effort to conserve and restore the temples of Angkor began in the early 20th century, the École française d'Extrême-Orient decided that Ta Prohm would be left largely as it had been found, as a "concession to the general taste for the picturesque."

The temple is small, given how many people visit and the locations for good photos with the trees are extremely crowded (and I visited in a slower part of the year so when it is busier it must be absolutely jammed). This is again something not to be missed on your visit to Siem Reap

The temple of Ta Prohm was used as a location in the film Tomb Raider. Although the film took visual liberties with other Angkorian temples, its scenes of Ta Prohm were quite faithful to the temple's actual appearance