After our time with the monkeys, we left the Angkor Thom area through the ‘Victory Gate.’
I was just along for the ride, but my driver insisted I get out and climb to the top of the gate to get a good picture.
I was too tired and hot to argue.
I climbed down, moved through the gate and waited for him on a bridge full of partial images, which apparently at one point spanned the very large moat surrounding Angkor Thom.
He picked me up, and I was ready to call it a day, but he insisted I make it to at least the ‘Tomb Raider’ temple, because it was the best.
Fine. Whatever. Take me straight there.
Oh no, there are temples along the way. Just quick stops. Uh Huh.
The next two were quick stop right over the bridge. I didn’t even get out of the tuk tuk. I pointed the camera left, and I pointed the camera right… and waved him on.
Despite my no longer wanting to move, I was dropped off at Ta Keo temple, so I begrudgingly walked around the parameter. I did not climb in or otherwise explore.
The nice thing about this place was it was almost completely void of human life. If I wanted to go into the rubble and hunt around, this would have been the place. But alas… way to the hell too hot.
Ta Keo is believed to be the first Khmer temple site to be built entirely of sandstone.
The site
Ta Keo was the state temple of Javarman V. Its particularly massive appearance is due to the absence of external decorations, as carving had just begun when the work stopped.
Why did it stop? Well, Jayavarman V was ten years old when he succeeded his father in 968. Poor kid had a rough go of it early on because the court officials took over. But, when he was 17 in 975, he started construction on Ta Keo. Around the year 1000 construction stopped suddenly, apparently because lightning struck the unfinished building, and that was considered an evil omen.
Or that is what the sign says. It also said there was a struggle for succession and Javarman V died. So that might have also stopped the work. We may never know.
