Perhaps the most famous Cambodian temple, preceded only by Angkor Wat*, Ta Prohm (more colloquially know as "The Tomb Raider Temple") was erected in 1186 A.D. by Jayavarman VII to serve as a Mahayana Buddhist monastery and university, complementing the adjacent university, Preah Khan*.

According to the temple's records, the site was home to more than 12,500 individuals, inclusive of 18 high priests and 615 dancers. Surrounding the temple, another 800,000 citizens provided services and supplies. It has also been noted on record that the temple had amassed considerable riches, including: gold, pearls and silks.

Unquestionably, the most notable feature of this temple are the startling silk and fig trees apparently attempting to swallow back up the temple into the earth. These astounding anaconda-like trees are what have prompted many a writer to descriptives, more than any other feature present at Angkor.

As you might have guessed, Ta Prohm was made famous in pop-culture by being featured in 2001's blockbuster epic, “Lara Croft: Tomb Raider”. More recently, the temple was also featured in 2017's "Kingsman: The Golden Circle". However, as the temple served as the main hideout for Poppy Adams (the antagonist to the film), the movie has effectively been banned in Cambodia.