2012-09-26 / Comments (41)

Trees Trounce Temple

Ta Prohm, part of the Angkor Complex, in the Siem Reap province of Cambodia, is awesome in its majesty and grandeur. Khmer King Jayavarman VII, so the story goes, built this monolithic laterite structure in 1181 AD in honour of his family. Although, its original name was ‘Rajavihara’ (royal temple), it was subsequently called ‘Ta Prohm’ – ‘Ta’ means ancestors and ‘Prohm’ means ‘Brahma’. So, ‘Ta Prohm’ means’ ancestors of Brahma’ – the Hindu God of creation. The Buddhist King commemorated this temple in 1186 AD.

FLOATING VILLAGES OF CAMBODIA

The eco-system and habitat surrounding the Tonlé Sap Lake also pulsates with its seasonal flooding and draining. A great majority of the trees, plants and shrubs are deciduous. Instead of shedding their leaves during the dry season, they loose them when the lake deepens, when they are inundated. However, there are also several plant species that remain evergreen, despite being waterlogged for six to eight months, each year. They are laden with fruits and seeds, at the time of flooding.