New Delhi, July 23: Restoration work at Cambodia’s Ta Prohm temple, housed in the sprawling complex which is best known for the fabled Angkor Wat, is picking up fast.

The project ' which marks the return of the Archaeological Survey of India to Angkor Wat ' was briefly reviewed last week by ministers of culture and tourism from the two countries.

Tourism and culture minister Ambika Soni met the visiting Cambodian tourism minister Lay Prohas, exchanging notes on the progress of the ASI project and on the modest tourist traffic between the two countries.

The ASI worked on the restoration of Angkor Wat between 1986 and 1993, at a time when other countries were reluctant to send their experts to war-hit Cambodia.

In 2002, then Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, on a visit to Phnom Penh, signed an agreement offering Indian expertise and funds to restore another temple in the complex. In 2004, the ASI compiled a technical report on the Ta Prohm’s conservation.

The Ta Prohm project will involve a longer ASI involvement compared to the Angkor Wat work. It is expected to take 10 years and cost about Rs 25 crore.