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Angkor Travel
Guide
Pre
Rup
Pre Rup
" Turn, or change, the body
"
A work of great dignity and
impeccable proportions',
wrote Mauize of Prerup in
his guidebook of 1963.
Pre Rup is located at
northeast of Srah Srang and
500 meters (1,640 feet)
south of the south end of
the East Baray. An entrance
and exit the monument from
the east entrance. To climb
to the upper terrace use the
east stairway; it is
slightly less steep than the
others.
Tip: Because the temple is
built entirely of brick and
laterite, the warm tones of
these materials are best are
seen early in the morning or
when the sun is setting.
There are two views from the
top terrace: the first
looking east towards Phnom
Bok and the mountain chain
of Phnom Kulen; and the
second looking west where
the towers of Angkor Wat can
be distinguished on the far
horizon.
It was built in second half
of the tenth century (961)
by the King Rajendraman II
dedicated to the god Siva
(Hindi), replica to Pre Rup
style of art.
Background
The boldness of the
architectural design of Pre
Rup is superb and give the
temple fine balance, scale
and proportion. The temple
is almost identical in style
to the East Mebon, although
it was built several yeas
later. It is the last real
'temple-mountain ' Pre Rup
was called the 'City of the
East ' by Philippe Stern, a
Frenchman who worked on the
site.
The Cambodians have always
regarded this temple as
having funerary associations
but reason is unknown. The
name Prerup recalls one of
the rituals of cremation in
which the silhouette of the
body of the deceased,
outlined with its ashes, is
successively represented
according to different
orientations, Some
archaeologists believe that
the large vat located at the
base of the east stairway to
the central area was used at
cremations.
Layout
Pre Rup dominates the vast
plain, which the East Baray
irrigated. Contracted on an
artificial mountain in
laterite with brick towers,
the plan is square and
comprises two enclosures (1
and 2) with four entry
towers each and a base with
three narrow tiers (3)
serving as a pedestal for
five towers on the top
platform one in each corner
and one central (4). The
outer enclosing wall is 127
by 116 meters (417 by 380
feet).
Inside the outer laterite-enclosing
wall there are two groups of
three towers, one on each
side of the entrance (5);
the towers of each group
share a common base. The
middle tower in each of the
two groups dominates and is
more developed than the
others. It appears that the
first tower on the right was
never built or, if it was,
its bricks were reused
somewhere else. The most
complete lintel is on the
tower at the far left (south
)on the east face showing in
his avataras a man-lion.
The next enclosure, also
made of laterite, has four
small entry towers, one on
each side (2) Long galleries
surround the courtyard on
the enterior. The walls of
these galleries, which have
sandstone porches, are built
of laterite.
In the courtyard there are
vestiges of long rest halls
(6) probably used by
pilgrims. They have
sandstone pillars in the
east and laterite walls and
windows with balusters in
the west. In the northeast
corner there is a curious
small square building (7)
built of large blocks of
laterite and open on all
four sides. The inscription
of the temple was found in
gallery near this building.
Libraries
On the left and right sides
of the east entry tower of
the second enclosure there
are libraries (8) with high
towers. They sheltered
carved stones with motifs of
the nine planets and the
seven ascetics. In the
center there is a vat (9)
between two rows of
sandstone pillars. Glaize
suggested that this might
have been, rather than a
sarcophagus, a base for a
wooden building or for a
statue of Nandi, the sacred
bull, the mount of Siva to
whom the temple was
dedicated.
Central Area (Base and
Towers) (3,4)
the square base has a
stairway on each side .
Pedestals flanking the
stairways are adorned with
seated lion of which those
on the lower terraces are
larger than those on the
higher levels. The first two
tiers are built of laterite
and have simple supporting
walls with a molded base and
cornice. The third tier is
built of sandstone. Two
supplementary stairways are
framed with lions on the
east side. Twelve small
temples opening to the east
and containing linga are
evenly spaced around the
first tier. The upper
platform is raised on a
double base of molded
sandstone with stairway
flanked with lions.
The five central towers on
the top platform are open to
the east. They all have
three false doors made of
sandstone and are sculpted
with figures and plant
motifs. Traces of plaster
are visible on the tower in
the southwest corner. At the
same tower there is a
depiction of Saravati , wife
of Brahma , with four faces
and arms. On the west side
of this tower there is
another divinity with four
arms and heads in the form
of a wild boar; it is the
wife of Visnu in his
avataras as a boar. Figures
in the niches are surrounded
by flying Apsaras at the
corners of the towers. the
figures at the two west
towers are feminine while
those at the east and
central towers are
masculine.
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