Apsara Authority to Restore Ta Prohm Statue’s Fallen Face

The missing face that recently fell from an apsara statue in Ta Prohm in Angkor Archaeological Park will be restored as soon as the weather obliges, the Apsara Authority said this week. On the morning of September 30, a temple official reported that the face of a prominent carving had cracked and fallen off, according to a statement. Ta Prohm is famous for the trees and roots growing in and around the temple grounds.

The effect was a faceless statue looking out from a thicket of roots and alarming those accustomed to seeing its full form. In one Facebook post that was shared more than 5,000 times, a Siem Reap tour guide called on police to explain the loss along with photos of the missing stone: “What could have caused this?” he asked. The apsara statue's fallen face. (Hap Kim An)The apsara statue’s fallen face. (Hap Kim An)

But the statue’s face had not been stolen or even damaged: As roots grew behind the statue’s stone surface, they pushed into preexisting cracks and caused the face of the carving to fall, Apsara official Neth Simon explained in a statement Tuesday. In another stroke of luck, the face landed among more tree roots and avoided major breakage.

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