Pre Rup

Pre Rup is a temple-mountain in the eastern part of Angkor, consecrated in 961 under King Rajendravarman II. The sanctuary is dedicated to Shiva and built of laterite and brick, which is why towards evening the stone fills with a deep copper colour. Three tiers of the stepped pyramid are crowned by five prasat towers, set at the corners and in the centre of the upper platform. The name is translated roughly as turning the body: local tradition links the temple with a funeral rite, though archaeologists have found no traces of cremation here. Very steep staircases lead to the top, and from the last terrace the forest and the rice fields around it come into view.

On the map