Ta Prohm Temple

Ta Prohm’s original name was Rajavihara, meaning “monastery of the King”. It was built as a Mahayana Buddhist monastery and university. The construction of the temple is dated to 1186AD, but it is generally considered to have been added to and embellished over a period of several years. As Maurice Glaize comments in his appraisal of the temple, “While for some time all the various temples in the style of the Bayon were attributed to a single king – Jayavarman VII – during his twenty or so years reign, today it seems more likely that he could not, in such a short time, have done more than just transform, extend or complete already existing religious establishments with his mark.”

Pre Rup

Pre Rup was built as the state temple for King Rajendravarman in the late 10th century in either 961 or 962 AD. It was built only 9 years after East Mebon which is exactly 1.3km north. It’s not known exactly what the temple was used for, but the modern name “Pre Rup” suggests that it was used for funerals. French historian, Philippe Stern, thought that Pre Rup stood at the centre of a new city built by King Rajendravarman. However, this also hasn’t been confirmed. Pre Rup is historically significant because it was the second temple built after the Khmer capital city was moved to Angkor Thom after a period of turbulent politics. The capital was moved back from Koh Ker and then again to Angkor Thom where it remained until the end of the Khmer empire. Like most other temples in the area, it’s thought that Pre Rup was abandoned at some point in the 16th century.