Close up view of the tree growing around the temple entrance.
Ta Prohm in Cambodia is a beautiful temple amongst ancient ruins that look completely immersed in the jungle. It is one of the largest temples built during the Khmer Empire in the 12th and 13th centuries. What makes this so beautiful is the fact that it is still standing today, surviving in such a rigorous environment. Ta Prohm is renowned for its stunning combination of nature and architecture, with massive trees and roots growing over and through the stone structures. The temple has a unique charm due to the way nature has reclaimed parts of it, creating an almost mystical atmosphere. The temple complex is believed to have been built during the reign of King Jayavarman VII. He gained influence through conquest and diplomacy, taking over many small territories successfully in the Hindu-Buddhist Angkor Empire.
View of the temple entrance.
Ta Prohm is a beautiful example of the sublimity of ruins. The way that nature has entangled itself with the ruins of the temple creates such an awe-inspiring sight, much like the outlook Romanticists had.
In the 18th century, Romanticism rose, characterized by its emphasis on the glorification of the past. Particular focus was on the aesthetic of the ruin and how nature takes over. At this time, people were reacting to Rationalism and generally feeling that they preferred intense emotion and wonder over logic and reason in art and architecture. Instead of reviving classical architecture like in the Renaissance, Romanticism revived medievalism. They found ruins to be delightfully horrifying, or sublime, in the way that they are beautiful, but represent the fact that the past is gone forever.
This temple is especially unique in the way that it is immersed in the local flora. The tropical tetrameles trees grow all over the structure, almost appearing to consume it. Aside from being a ruined and abandoned structure, the way that nature has consumed it is darker and more ominous. This feature makes the sublimity of these ruins significantly more profound.
I’m truly captivated by this, and it’s entirely new to me. It’s making me want to plan a visit someday. Your description of nature reclaiming this ruin is beautiful; it reminds me of how ultimately, nature precedes the existence of man-made structures.
People are often fascinated by ruins because it causes them to wonder what life was like for the people who once lived there long ago. As Romanticism during the 18th century in Europe, society glorified the past and became enthralled by ruins of exotic ancient civilizations. The way that nature has reclaimed this ruin also speak to the temporality of human society. It reminds me of a book I read in undergrad called The World Without us by Allan Weisman, a dystopian speculative about how nature would reclaim the world if human beings disappeared from earth. These ruins covered in plants remind me that built environment is temporary and eventually nature will reclaim her space.