Prasat Ta Meuan Thom

Prasat Ta Meuan Thom is an old Khmer Temple at the Thai-Cambodian border. Probably the temple was built during the reign of Jayavarman VII (AD 1181-1215). Together with Khao Phra Vihan (or Preah Vihear, according to Cambodians) it is a tug of war between Thailand and Cambodia. Despite being in Thai administrative soil Cambodians claim it too. Though till now the area is not being disturbed there is an Army Thai post outside the inner wall of the temple. The sandstone stairs we see at the begining of the video are in the southern most temple complex. Facing the stairs is the jungle. Thick jungle, bunches of bambus, termite nests, scattered stones being covered by huge trunks and thick roots of rubber trees. In the canopy of trees nest a lot of singing birds and in the soil, under rotten leaves mixed up with the humid earth there are still undetonated hand grenades and land mines left by Khmer Rouge in the 1980s. when the Cambodian Maoists occupied the site. As they did in other Khmer ruins, the soldiers had destroyed a lot from the temple after selling to particulars and merchants sculptures and lintels. What is left is not much but still worth to see. What makes it an special place is the isoleted location. A part of the soldiers (they’ll not bother you) almost no body else is around. I’ve been there at least four times. Up to now I had never met a single foreigner during my visits to Prasat Ta Meuan Thom and the small two other Khmer ruins few hundred meters north from the main temple. I’ve just sighted few peasants passing by or kids grazing cows.