Ta Som ( km, ប្រាសាទតាសោម) is a small temple at

Angkor Angkor ( km, អង្គរ , 'Capital city'), also known as Yasodharapura ( km, យសោធរបុរៈ; sa, यशोधरपुर),Headly, Robert K.; Chhor, Kylin; Lim, Lam Kheng; Kheang, Lim Hak; Chun, Chen. 1977. ''Cambodian-Engl ...

Cambodia Cambodia (; also Kampuchea ; km, កម្ពុជា, UNGEGN: ), officially the Kingdom of Cambodia, is a country located in the southern portion of the Indochinese Peninsula in Southeast Asia, spanning an area of , bordered by Thailan ...

, built at the end of the 12th century for King

Jayavarman VII Jayavarman VII, posthumous name of Mahaparamasaugata ( km, ជ័យវរ្ម័នទី៧, c. 1122–1218), was king of the Khmer Empire. He was the son of King Dharanindravarman II (r. 1150–1160) and Queen Sri Jayarajacudamani. He w ...

. It is located north east of Angkor Thom and just east of

Neak Pean Neak Pean (or Neak Poan) ( km, ប្រាសាទនាគព័ន្ធ, "the entwined serpents") at Angkor, Cambodia is an artificial island with a Buddhist temple on a circular island in Jayatataka Baray, which was associated with Pre ...

. The King dedicated the temple to his father

Dharanindravarman II Dharanindravarman II ( km, ធរណីន្ទ្រវរ្ម័នទី២; also titled ''Paramanishkalapada'') was king of the Khmer Empire from 1150 to 1160. He married the daughter of Harshavarman III, Princess Sri Jayarajacudamani. ...

''(Paramanishkalapada)'' who was King of the Khmer Empire from 1150 to 1160. The temple consists of a single shrine located on one level and surrounded by enclosure laterite walls. Like the nearby Preah Khan and

Ta Prohm Ta Prohm ( km, ប្រាសាទតាព្រហ្ម, UNGEGN: , ALA-LC: ; "Ancestor Brahma") is the modern name of the temple in Siem Reap, Cambodia, built in the Bayon style largely in the late 12th and early 13th centuries and origin ...

the temple was left largely unrestored, with numerous trees and other vegetation growing among the ruins. In 1998, the

World Monuments Fund World Monuments Fund (WMF) is a private, international, non-profit organization dedicated to the preservation of historic architecture and cultural heritage sites around the world through fieldwork, advocacy, grantmaking, education, and trainin ...

(WMF) added the temple to their restoration program and began work to stabilise the structure to make it safer for visitors.

Structure

Designed to be entered from the east, Ta Som is surrounded by a moat and enclosed by three laterite walls which are broken by two sets of

gopura A ''gopuram'' or ''gopura'' ( Tamil: கோபுரம், Malayalam: ഗോപുരം, Kannada: ಗೋಪುರ, Telugu: గోపురం) is a monumental entrance tower, usually ornate, at the entrance of a Hindu temple, in the So ...

(entrance ways). The gopuras are cross-shaped and contain a small room on each side along with windows containing balusters. The main structure of the gopura are carved with four faces in the

Bayon The Bayon ( km, ប្រាសាទបាយ័ន, ) is a richly decorated Khmer temple related to Buddhism at Angkor in Cambodia. Built in the late 12th or early 13th century as the state temple of the King Jayavarman VII ( km, ព្រ� ...

style. The eastern outer gopura has been overgrown by a

sacred fig ''Ficus religiosa'' or sacred fig is a species of fig native to the Indian subcontinent and Indochina that belongs to Moraceae, the fig or mulberry family. It is also known as the bodhi tree, pippala tree, peepul tree, peepal tree, pipal tree ...

(''Ficus religiosa'') which has grown down through the blocks that make up the gopura and into the ground. The inner section of the temple consists of a central cruciform sanctuary with

porch A porch (from Old French ''porche'', from Latin ''porticus'' "colonnade", from ''porta'' "passage") is a room or gallery located in front of an entrance of a building. A porch is placed in front of the facade of a building it commands, and form ...

es at each arm surrounded by four corner pavilions. Two small libraries sit on either side of the eastern entrance path.

Restoration

According to the APSARA Authority who manage the temples in the

Park, little restoration work had been done at Ta Som until the 1950s. At this time some propping of structures that were near collapse was carried out. After the WMF added Ta Som to their project, the WMF team began to document and interpret the site and carry out emergency stabilization of fragile structures and improvement to visitor flow around the monument. In 2007, WMF and the APSARA Authority conducted clearing and documentation works that allowed the temple to be accessed from all four sides. Many sandstone blocks were repaired and this allowed the reconstruction of the North Central Fronton of the North Gopura.

Gallery

File:Ta Som Temple.jpg, File:East Tower Ta Som Angkor1028.jpg, File:Ta Som, Angkor, Camboya, 2013-08-17, DD 14.JPG, File:Galerie du temple Ta Som (Angkor) (6827164344).jpg, File:Gopura oriental extérieur de Ta Som (Angkor) (6973168157).jpg, File:Ta Som, Angkor, Camboya, 2013-08-17, DD 03.JPG, File:Gupura I West Ta Som Angkor1018.jpg, File:Tasomeastgop3east.jpg,

References

Bibliography

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External links

Photo Gallery: Ta Som Devata - Sacred Khmer Women in 12th Century Cambodia
{{SiemReapProvince Religious organizations established in the 12th century Buddhist temples in Siem Reap Province Angkorian sites in Siem Reap Province