PRE RUP TEMPLE

PRE RUP TEMPLE
“Change or Turn the Body”
- Location : northeast of Srah Srong and south to the south dyke of The East Baray about 500 meters.
 - Access : enter and leave the temple from the east entrance.
 - Date : second half of the 10th century (961).
 - King : Rajendravarman 2nd (Sivaloka).
 - Religion : Hinduism (dedicated to god Siva).
 - Art-style : Pre Rup.
 - Clearance worked by Mr. Henri Marchal and Mr. George Trouve (1930-1935).
 - Posthumous name: Sivaloka.

 1. BACKGROUND
It was an excellent temple in style and decoration and made of laterite and brick and built several years later that (Mebon Temple, 9 years). It was represented to (The Mountain Meru) with 5 brick towers on top. According to the inscription told the date in A.D 961 and the name of Siva-Linga (Rajendra-bhadhresvara) which kept in the central tower (4.2 meters for each side) and another linga kept in the northeast tower (Rajendra-vemesvara). The others 3 towers formerly they kept the statues (Siva, Uma, Vishnu) and his ancestors and king Harshavarman 2 (Brahmaloka), his cousin brother. Mr. Philippe Stern (Frenchman) who worked on returning from Koh Ker (Preah Vihear Province) which was emigrated in the year (921-944). The Cambodians have always regarded this temple as having funerary association is still doubtful. The name Pre Rup, “changing the body” and it racalls one of the rituals of the cremation which the silhouette of the body was cremated and changed into another form that could reach his goal.

 2. LAY-OUT
The temple stood on an artificial mountain which had a laterite base with 3 levels (13.5 meters high) and 5 brick towers on the top. The plan is square and surrounded by 2 laterite walls, each one of which has 4 gates and in the courtyard of the wall, there are 6 brick towers divided into 2 groups (north group and south group) which stood on a common base and opening to the east side. The middle tower (5 meters for each side) is each of the 2 groups bigger than the other towers. The side of the brick is (16 centimeters wide by 30 centimeters long and 8.5 centimeters thick). They put it on with natural tree leaves and resin. The first tower of the north group, its bricks was used as a roadbed when the Frenchman built the grand circuit. The east lintel of the south tower of south group which depicted Vishnu in his incarnation as a man-lion (Narashimha) tore a part his opponent demon king (Hiranyakshakashipu) who claimed to have the same rank and right as god. The second wall is (75 meters wide by 85 meters long) with 4 gates. In the courtyard of this wall there are many rectangular laterite buildings that used as long halls for meditation by the priests and pilgrims. These building were formerly covered by timber-roof. In the northeast corner there is curious small square building which built of large blocks of laerite and opened to all 4 directions. And some art historians suggested this building was used as a place for cleaning the ashes of the dead person. The inscription of the temple was found in a gallery near this building, but it was brought to Siem Reap Conservation Office during 1995 for safekeeping. On the both sides of the east entrance of the second wall, there are 2 brick buildings opening to the west side, which would be libraries. Inside these 2 buildings, they found a stone block of 9 planets: (Chhandra, Surya, Vayu, Varuna, Skanda, Agni, Indra, Yama and Rahu). Between these 2 buildings we can see a stone tank is (1.9 meters wide by 3 meters long) which used as a pedestal of the sacred bull (Nandin) or a sarcophagus (Mr. Maurize Glaize 1936-1945), but Mr. Henri Parmentier mentioned it as a tank in which the legendary personage was burnt. The first level is (50 meters for each side and 6.7 meters high) which contained 12 small brick towers opening to the east side, each one of which had a Siva-Linga. And the second level is (40 meters for each side). And the third level is (35 meters for each side) made of sandstone and used as a base of the 5 towers.

 3. TOY LEVEL
There are 5 brick towers on top, 4 towers are at the corners and one tower is in the center of the plan. The temple stood on a high base with 3 levels and had 4 steep stairways on each of the 4 sides of the base and was flanked by sandstone lions on their pedestals. The 3 brick towers in the front row are decorated with the male guardians in niches and the other 2 towers in the back row are with the female guardians. The southwest tower on the east side has a depiction of the goddess (Sarasvati) wife of (Brahma) with 4 arms and 4 faces and on the west side, there is another goddess with 4 arms and 4 faces in the form of a wild boar is the wife of god Vishnu in his incarnation as (Varaha, wild boar).