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. 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 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 with high towers. They sheltered carved
stones with motifs of the nine planets and the seven ascetics. In the center
there is a vat 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)
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.
