Ta Prohm’s original name was Rajavihara, meaning “monastery of the King”. It was built as a Mahayana Buddhist monastery and university. The construction of the temple is dated to 1186AD, but it is generally considered to have been added to and embellished over a period of several years.

Jayavarman VII dedicated Ta Prohm to his family, as evidence by the inscriptions on the stele. The inscription lists many of Jayavarman’s ancestors, as well as giving details of the construction enterprise on the site.

Nearly 80,000 people were involved in serving the temple, coming from over 3,000 surrounding villages.