Discover Ta Prohm, the ‘Tomb Raider’ temple at Angkor, from its roots under Jayavarman VII to its jungle‑covered ruins today, and learn how Khmer sculptures from HD Asian Art can bring its spirit into your space.

Ta Prohm: The Iconic “Tomb Raider Temple”

Ta Prohm is one of the most atmospheric temples in the Angkor complex, famous for its crumbling stone galleries locked in the embrace of giant tree roots. Built in 1186 under the great Khmer king Jayavarman VII, it was originally known as Rajavihara, “monastery of the king,” and served as a major Mahayana Buddhist monastery and centre of learning dedicated to his mother.

Today it is better known worldwide as the “Tomb Raider temple” or “Angelina Jolie temple” after its appearance in the 2001 film Lara Croft: Tomb Raider, where Lara follows a young girl through its shadowy courtyards and strangler-fig roots.

A Brief History of Ta Prohm

Jayavarman VII’s reign (late 12th to early 13th century) was marked by enormous building projects, including Ta Prohm, Bayon, Preah Khan and Angkor Thom. An inscription from 1186 records Ta Prohm’s foundation and lists astonishing numbers of people attached to the temple—tens of thousands, including officials, servants, and hundreds of sacred dancers.

Ta Prohm was conceived as a living sacred city:

• A central sanctuary, probably housing a statue of Prajnaparamita, the personification of transcendent wisdom and a spiritual double of the king’s mother.

• Galleried enclosures and libraries richly decorated with reliefs and sculpture.

• Monastic buildings supporting a thriving religious community and university.

Like many Angkor temples, it was gradually abandoned as the Khmer empire declined and the capital shifted, allowing the jungle to reclaim the site. When rediscovered by French explorers in the 19th century, its state of semi‑ruin—stones collapsing under the pressure of roots—made it an instant symbol of the struggle and harmony between nature and architecture.

Why Ta Prohm Feels So Magical

Unlike Angkor Wat and Bayon, Ta Prohm was deliberately left in a “controlled ruin,” with conservation efforts stabilising rather than fully clearing the trees. Massive silk‑cotton and strangler fig trees grow over, around, and through the sandstone blocks, simultaneously holding parts of the structure together and slowly prising it apart.

This creates the qualities visitors love:

• Dim, dappled light filtering through foliage onto weathered lintels and doorways.

• Collapsed galleries that open surprising views of towers, roots, and sky.

• Narrow corridors where apsara and devata figures emerge from stone darkened by moss and age.

It is this haunting mix of decay and endurance that made Ta Prohm a natural film location for Tomb Raider. The production used the temple largely as it is, enhancing its global reputation as the ultimate “lost jungle temple.”

Sculpture and Carving at Ta Prohm

Although visitors focus on the photogenic trees, Ta Prohm is also rich in sculpture and relief carving. Across its gopuras (gate-towers), galleries, and shrines you can still trace the refined language of Khmer art:

• Apsaras and devatas – graceful female figures carved in niches, with elaborate headdresses, jewellery, and finely pleated sampots, adorning pilasters and walls of the central and outer enclosures.

• Dvarapalas and guardians – standing warriors and divine gatekeepers flanking doorways, echoing the protective spirit seen in Khmer Naga sculptures and Hanuman guardians.

• Pediments and lintels – narrative scenes and decorative foliage, often with rows of kneeling devotees and, in some cases, reclining Buddhas and partially defaced central icons.

• Ornamental foliage and roundels – dense scrollwork, lotus medallions, and leafy tree patterns carved into almost every surface, tying the stone visually to the living jungle outside.

Much of this decoration belongs to Jayavarman VII’s late 12th‑century Bayon style, with soft, full faces, calm smiles, and rich costume detail—qualities closely echoed in many Khmer‑style sculptures sold at HD Asian Art, such as Angkor‑period Lokeshvara, Bayon‑style Lakshmi, and Apsara figures.

From Jungle Temple to Home: Khmer Sculptures Inspired by Ta Prohm

For many travellers, a first walk through Ta Prohm—where roots pour over doorways and apsara smile quietly from shadow—is what ignites a lifelong love of Khmer sculpture. While the original carvings remain in situ or in Cambodian museums, carefully chosen Khmer‑style pieces can bring a respectful echo of that experience into contemporary interiors.

Here are some of the key Angkor‑inspired forms you might recognise from Ta Prohm and find reflected in the Khmer sculptures offered by HD Asian Art:

• Apsara and devata figures

  • At Ta Prohm, celestial dancers and standing devatas line the walls of gateways and inner sanctuaries, identifiable by refined features, elaborate crowns, and gently swaying postures.

  • Khmer‑style bronze or stone Apsara statues, like those at HD Asian Art, echo this elegance, making them ideal for bringing a touch of “temple wall” grace into a living room or hallway.

• Lokeshvara and Buddhist images

  • As a Mahayana Buddhist monastery, Ta Prohm once enshrined Prajnaparamita and would have been filled with images of bodhisattvas such as Lokeshvara, reflecting Jayavarman VII’s compassion‑centred vision.

  • Angkor‑style Lokeshvara bronzes with multiple arms, tranquil faces, and ornate jewellery resonate with this spiritual atmosphere and sit beautifully on altars, console tables, and desks.

• Protective Nagas

  • Approaches to Angkor temples often feature naga balustrades and serpent guardians, symbolising protection and the threshold between the human world and the sacred.

  • Khmer five‑ or seven‑headed Naga sculptures, such as the protective Nagas from HD Asian Art, channel that same guardian energy and work particularly well flanking doorways or framing a Buddha image.

• Khmer deities in Bayon and Angkor Wat styles

  • The faces and postures of many Ta Prohm carvings belong stylistically with the wider Angkor tradition found at Angkor Wat and Bayon—gentle yet powerful, composed yet full of presence.

  • Bayon‑style Lakshmi, Vishnu, Shiva (including Pancha‑Mukha Shiva) and related Khmer bronzes carry that same balance of spiritual authority and sculptural refinement, making them strong “statement pieces” in modern interiors.

By choosing sculptures that echo the proportions, facial types, and costume details of Angkor‑period art, you can create a subtle visual bridge between your home and the stone corridors of Ta Prohm.

Styling Ideas: Bringing the Spirit of Ta Prohm into Your Space

To evoke the mood of the “Tomb Raider” temple without overwhelming a room, think in terms of atmosphere rather than literal re‑creation:

• Pair a Khmer Apsara or devata statue with textured stone, wood, or rattan surfaces to recall temple walls softened by time.

• Place a protective Naga or small Angkor‑style Buddha head near indoor plants, allowing leaves to frame the sculpture the way jungle foliage frames Ta Prohm’s doorways.

• Use warm, low lighting—table lamps, candles, or spotlights—to mimic the dappled light and shadow of Ta Prohm’s galleries.

• Create a focused “shrine corner” with a Bayon‑style deity, a simple offering bowl, and a single plant or lotus image, echoing the quiet devotional spaces hidden within the ruins.

Handled thoughtfully and respectfully, Khmer sculptures inspired by Ta Prohm and the Angkor temples can do more than decorate a room: they can reintroduce a sense of time, patience, and sacred stillness into everyday life.