Ancient Archaeology and World Heritage

Ta Prohm which was originally called Rajavihara (Royal Monastery) was a Mahayana Buddhist temple, monastery and a university. Its’ ruins are located approximately one kilometre  east of Angkor Thom in modern-day Siem Reap, Cambodia . Completed in 1186 CE during the reign of King Jayavarman VII (reigned from 1181 CE to 1218 CE), Ta Prohm is one of the most popular temples among the visitors to Angkor, due to the massive trees and roots growing out of its’ ruins.

Halin (also known as Hanlin ) located in the Sagaing Division of Myanmar was once an ancient city of the Pyu Kingdom : a group of city states founded by the Tibeto-Burman-speaking Pyu people  (the earliest inhabitants of Myanmar of whom records are still available). They were Buddhists of the "Sarvastivada" school. Estimated to have been established around the  1st or 2nd Century BCE , Halin was one of the earliest Pyu city states. It remained prominent until the 9th Century CE.

"Wat Mahathat" (“The Temple of the Great Relic”) was one of the most prominent Buddhist temples of Ayutthaya Kingdom : a Siamese Kingdom which existed from 1350 CE to 1767 CE in modern day Thailand. Located approximately 80 kilometres north of Thailand’s current capital Bangkok, it forms part of the Historic City of Ayutthaya (the capital city of the Ayutthaya Kingdom) which was designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1991 CE.

Borobudur Temple Compounds comprise of three Buddhist temples situated in the central region of the Indonesian Island of Java. The three temples: namely Borobudur, Mendut and Pawon which fall on an approximate straight line were constructed during the reign of the Sailendra Dynasty around the 8 th and 9 th Century CE.

Angkor Thom (alternatively referred to as "Nokor Thom" in Khmer, which translates to “Great City” ) was established by “King Jayavarman VII” (who reigned from 1181 CE to 1218 CE) during the late 12th Century CE. It was the last capital of the Khmer Empire. Covering an area of approximately nine square kilometres, Angkor Thom contains several monuments established by Jayavarman VII himself as well as his predecessors and successors. Some of the best-known monuments are the Bayon temple , the Terrace of the Elephants and t he Terrace of the Leper King.

Extending up to approximately 78 meters (255 feet) on each of its' four sides, Dhammayangyi Temple is the largest temple structure in Bagan and its' construction was never even completed. Dhammayangyi temple

Kamphaeng Phet Historical Park is located  in   Kamphaeng Phet province of Thailand. It is  about 360km north of Bangkok, about 80km south of Sukhothai and about 350km south of Chiang Mai.  Along with  Sukhothai Historical Park  and  Si Satchanalai historical park , it is a part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site named  “Historic Town of Sukhothai and Associated Historic Towns”  (designated in 1991 CE).

In Yaśodharapura (modern day Angkor) which was once the capital of the Khmer Empire (from the late 9th century CE to the early 15th Century CE), lies Angkor Wat.  Once hidden amidst vast jungles and today bustling with tourists, it is the largest religious monument in the world. 

“Bagan” (classically referred to as "Arimaddanapura" ) contains l argest concentration of Buddhist pagodas and stupas in the world.  It is estimated that 4,446 Buddhist temples, pagodas and monasteries were constructed between the 11th and the 13th centuries CE. Over 3,500 of these remain to date.

Primarily named after the characters of the Hindu epic Mahabharata, the temple compounds located in the Dieng Plateau in Central Java has been dated as far back of the 7 th to 8 th Century CE. Even though most tourists venturing on cultural escapes in Indonesia frequently visits the world heritage sites of Borobudur and Prambanan Temple complexes, Dieng Plateau is frequently overlooked due to being unaware of its’ existence as much as difficulty of access. After all, the trip to the temple compound which is located nearly 2,100 m above sea level could take over 3 hours from Yogyakarta even with private transportation.