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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. |
