Restoration work has begun at Trapeang Phong temple in Cambodia’s Angkor Archaeological Park, where prolonged exposure to weather and the passage of time have left the ninth-century structure in a dilapidated condition.
Archaeologists from Cambodia’s APSARA National Authority are organizing the project in two phases. The first phase will focus on the temple’s western section before restoration advances to its other sides, according to reporting by Southeast Asian Archaeology via the Khmer Times.
The restoration team plans to begin at the foundation and work upward toward the top of the temple. Saray Kim Huol, head of the authority’s Rolous conservation site, emphasized the need to address the structure’s condition.
Trapeang Phong was built in the middle of the ninth century under King Jayavarman III and was dedicated to Hinduism, according to the supplied reporting. The project is intended to repair damage affecting the temple’s structure rather than to establish a new interpretation of its original use.
The restoration begins as the APSARA National Authority is also carrying out safety measures elsewhere in Angkor Archaeological Park. Following a tree collapse at Tonle Om Bridge that caused one death and several injuries, officials have been inspecting trees and arranging for hazardous branches to be pruned or removed by professionals. The authority has advised visitors to exercise caution around large trees during the rainy season.
