The Apsara National Authority (ANA) expects that the number of tourists visiting the Hall of Dancers at Ta Prohm Temple in Siem Reap province will greatly increase now that experts have renovated it.
ANA spokesman Long Kosal said on November 14 that Ta Prohm Temple is set to return to its status as a major tourist attraction in the coming years. The temple is known for the gigantic tree roots that dangle down over its entryways, walls and terraces, and was where Hollywood star Angelina Jolie filmed part of her movie Tomb Raider.
“It took us two years to renovate the temple’s Hall of Dancers because we had to document everything and propose renovation procedures and then we discussed the procedures for approval from the Angkor committee,” he said, referring to the International Coordinating Committee for the Safeguarding and Development of the Historic Site of Angkor (ICC-Angkor).
Kosal noted that the renovation costs were covered by India in cooperation with the ANA.
Chhay Sivlin, president of the Cambodia Association of Travel Agents, said the Hall of Dancers at Ta Prohm Temple was renovated by experts from India in cooperation with the ANA and the restored site is now open to members of the public in the hopes of drawing tourists.
“We hope that there will be more visitors because before nobody was able to see the Hall of Dancers, it was just a pile of rocks that you imagined dancers may have performed in and now it’s there for everyone to see, no imagination required, and it looks beautiful,” she added.
Ta Prohm’s reconstructed Hall of Dancers was inaugurated on November 13.
