This is the Central Sanctuary (inner courtyard) of Ta Prohm meaning Ancestor Brahma. The compound was a Bayon-style monastery devoted to Mahayana Buddhism. Jayavarman VII, the King of the Khmer Empire, commissioned it in 1186 and dedicated it to his mother. When Ta Prohm was called Rajavihara, the King’s Monastery housed up to 12,500 people until it was abandoned in the 15th century. Although the entire complex is 160 acres in size, the area of most interest to tourists is about 2.5 acres.
