Ta Prohm Temple, Cambodia - Monastery, Jungle, Temple

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Ta Prohm is a quiet and extensive monastery, and unlike most other sites, it has only been partly cleared of overgrowth, and has been deliberately left more or less the way it was initially found. Some walls and doorways of the ancient structure were left overgrown and engrossed by huge trees and other foliage. The monastery was one of King Jayavarman VII's first key temple projects, and was dedicated to his mother. It is estimated that at one time this vast 600-room monastery and the adjoining area had a population of over 70,000 people. The temple is 145 metres by 125 metres, It was home to high priests, monks, assistants, dancers and labourers, and was very affluent with great stores of jewels and gold, and controlled an estimated 3,000 villages.