Ta Som

Ta Som is a small Angkor-period temple complex east of the main Angkor group, constructed in the late 12th to early 13th century during the reign of Jayavarman VII. It is one of the smaller state temples in the Angkor Archaeological Park but is well known among visitors for its ruined gopuras and tree-covered towers.

The site’s standout feature is the eastern gopura where a large strangler fig has grown over the stonework and a tower, producing an iconic ‘tree-over-temple’ image. The temple has a cruciform plan with a central sanctuary, surrounding enclosure walls and corner towers connected by galleries, and is typically visited on the circuit of East Mebon, Ta Prohm and other nearby monuments.

Ta Som was built as a Mahayana Buddhist foundation and bears Khmer bas-reliefs and inscriptions typical of the Jayavarman VII building program. Over the centuries the complex fell into ruin and was later cleared and conserved during modern archaeological work.

The temple stands inside the Angkor Archaeological Park near Siem Reap in northwest Cambodia, a short drive from the main Angkor temple cluster and accessible from the Angkor road network.

• Fig tree: The massive fig tree on the eastern gopura is the temple’s most recognisable feature and best viewed early morning or late afternoon for softer light and fewer visitors.

What to See#

• East Gate (strangler fig): The eastern gopura, famous for a large strangler fig that has grown across the tower and bas-reliefs, forms the most photographed facade and is often the first stop on circuit visits.
• Central sanctuary: A small inner sanctuary and cruciform central chamber that once housed Buddhist images and is surrounded by a laterite and sandstone enclosure wall.
• Outer enclosure and gopuras: The enclosing gallery and corner gopuras that mark the temple’s outer limits and connect the site with the Angkorian road network.

Ta Som is a small Buddhist temple built in the late 12th to early 13th century under the patronage of Jayavarman VII, who also raised Preah Khan and Neak Pean to the west, aligned with Ta Som on a nearly straight axis. The temple is approached from the west, near the eastern edge of the Jayatataka, the northern baray, and what it lacks in size it makes up for in substance, packing a wealth of detailed, well-preserved carvings into a compact plan.

A Bayon-style monastery. The western gopura is cruciform, with interior antechambers and the smiling faces of Lokesvara looking out over doorways flanked by beautiful guardian devatas. Beyond it lies a now-dry moat, which lends credence to the theory that the outer enclosure and its eastern and western gopuras were later additions. The inner enclosure is entered through cruciform gopuras at each cardinal point, whose corridors lead to a central shrine; while several ancillary towers hold yoni receptacles for linga, the central sanctuary once housed an octagonal-based linga representing the Hindu Trimurti of Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva.

The tree at the eastern gate. Ta Som’s signature image is the easternmost gopura, draped in the roots of a strangler fig, where smiling faces, devatas and living tree combine for a memorable view. Several passages have partly or wholly collapsed, and the maze of interconnecting corridors, clearings and scattered piles of carved and plain stone, half-reconstructed on the ground, makes the temple a rewarding one to explore at leisure.

The ancient name. Ta Som was originally known as Gaurasrigajaratna, “Jewel of the Propitious White Elephant”; the name it goes by today is a much later one.

Ta Som is inside the Angkor Archaeological Park near Siem Reap. From Siem Reap town centre most visitors reach Ta Som by tuk‑tuk or motorbike as part of the Angkor circuit; travel time is typically 15-30 minutes depending on which temples you visit first (roughly 8-12 km by road from central Siem Reap). The temple is reached on the park’s internal access roads and the walk from the nearest parking/road to the ruins is short (a few hundred metres).

• Aim for sunrise or late afternoon light at Ta Som-the small eastern gopura with a fig/strangler-root growing on its tower is the temple's photo highlight and looks best in soft light.
• Enter and exit via the temple's eastern gate to see the famous tree-grown gopura first, then walk the compact site fully-Ta Som is small and often much less busy than Ta Prohm, so combine visits to nearby Angkor temples in one loop to avoid peak crowds.
• Because Ta Som is compact, spend time at the rear sanctuary and corner lintels-many visitors rush past without noticing the finer carvings and the small shrine chambers.