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{{Infobox Hindu temple
| name               = Pre Rup
| native_name        = {{lang|km|ប្រាសាទប្រែរូប}}
| image              = Pre Rup, Angkor, Camboya, 2013-08-16, DD 13.JPG
| alt                = 
| caption            = 
| map_type           = Cambodia
| map_caption        = Location in Cambodia
| coordinates        = {{coord|13.435473|103.920452|type:landmark_region:KH|display=inline,title}}
| country            = [[Cambodia]]
| state              =
| district           = 
| location           = [[Angkor]]
| elevation_m        = 
| deity              = [[Shiva]]
| festivals          = 
| architecture       = [[Khmer architecture|Khmer]]
| temple_quantity    = 
| monument_quantity  = 
| inscriptions       = 
| year_completed     = 961 or 962
| creator            = [[Rajendravarman]]
| website            = 
}}
{{Contains special characters|Khmer}}
'''Pre Rup''' ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|p|r|ɛ|_|r|uː|p}}; {{langx|km|ប្រែរូប}}, {{Transliteration|km|Prê Rub}} {{IPA|km|prae.ruːp|}}) is a [[Hindu]] temple at [[Angkor]], [[Cambodia]], built as the state temple of [[Khmer Empire|Khmer]] king [[Rajendravarman]]<ref name=Coedes>{{cite book|last= Coedès|first= George|author-link= George Coedès|editor= Walter F. Vella|others= trans.Susan Brown Cowing|title= The Indianized States of Southeast Asia|year= 1968|publisher= University of Hawaii Press|isbn= 978-0-8248-0368-1}}</ref>{{rp|116}}<ref name=Higham>Higham, C., 2001, The Civilization of Angkor, London: Weidenfeld & Nicolson, {{ISBN|9781842125847}}</ref>{{rp|73–74}}<ref name=Higham1>Higham, C., 2014, Early Mainland Southeast Asia, Bangkok: River Books Co., Ltd., {{ISBN|9786167339443}}</ref>{{rp|361–364}}  and dedicated in 961 or early 962. It is a [[Architecture of Cambodia#Temple mountain|temple mountain]] of combined [[brick]], [[laterite]] and [[sandstone]] construction.

The temple's name is a comparatively modern one meaning "turn the body". This reflects the common belief among Cambodians that funerals were conducted at the temple, with the ashes of the body being ritually rotated in different directions as the service progressed.

==Pre Rup==
Located just south of the [[East Baray]], or eastern reservoir, Pre Rup is aligned on a north–south axis with the [[East Mebon]] temple, which is located on what was an artificial island in the baray. The East Mebon was also a creation of the reign of Rajendravarman.
Pre Rup's extensive laterite and brick give it a pleasing reddish tone that is heightened by early morning and late afternoon sunlight. The temple has a square lay-out and two perimeter walls. The outer enclosure is a platform bounded by a laterite wall, 117&nbsp;meters N-S by 127&nbsp;meters E-W. A laterite causeway gives entry from the east; unfortunately, a modern road cuts across it. The four external [[Architecture of Cambodia#Gopura|gopuras]] are cross-shaped, having a central brick section (consisting of three rooms flanked by two independent passageways) and a sandstone vestibule on both sides. To either side inside the eastern gate is a group of three towers aligned north to south. One of the towers appears to have never been built or to have been dismantled later, however they are later additions, probably by [[Jayavarman V]]. Further ahead, through another gate, libraries lie to either side of the walkway on the second platform. Just before the entrance there is a stone "cistern", but scholars believe it was a basement for a [[Nandi (bull)|Nandi]] bronze statue rather than being used for cremation ceremonies.<ref>[[#FreJac2006|Freeman and Jacques, 2006]], pp.158-159</ref>

There is also a series of long distinct galleries running along each side, a distinctive feature of 10th century architecture that would be substituted by a continuous gallery from [[Ta Keo]] onward.<ref name="Jacques p.160">[[#FreJac2006|Freeman and Jacques, 2006]], p.160</ref>

The final squared pyramid, measuring 50&nbsp;m at its base, rises in three steep tiers a dozen metres in height to a 35&nbsp;m square platform at the summit. The lowest tier is symmetrically surrounded by 12 small shrines. At the top, five towers are arranged in a [[Architecture of Cambodia#Quincunx|quincunx]], one at each corner of the square and one in the center. Deities carved as bas-reliefs stand guard at either side of the central tower's eastern door; its other doors are false doors. The southwest tower once contained a statue of [[Lakshmi]], the northwest tower a statue of [[Parvati|Uma]], the southeast tower a statue of [[Vishnu]] and the northeast tower a statue of [[Shiva]]. The last one has an inscription on doorjambs that dates from [[Jayavarman VI]] and is the only proof of his reign at Angkor.<ref name="Jacques p.160"/> <!--The temple has significant detailed carving in various places—in one scene, the god [[Indra]] stands atop his three-headed elephant [[Airavata]]-->

==History==
Pre Rup was dedicated to the Hindu god [[Shiva]], and it is probably located on a former shivaite [[ashram]], built by [[Yasovarman I]] in the previous century.<ref name="Jacques p.158">[[#FreJac2006|Freeman and Jacques, 2006]], p.158</ref> Perhaps it was standing at the centre of a new capital city built by Rajendravarman, with the southern dike of East Baray as northern city limit, but nothing of the dwellings survived<ref name="Jacques p.158"/> and this "eastern city hypothesis" by [[Philippe Stern]] was never confirmed by archeological discoveries.<ref>[[#Dumarç2001|Dumarçay ''et al.'', 2001]], p.64</ref>

==Gallery==
<gallery mode=packed>
Pre rup final pyramid from E.jpg|Terminal pyramid of Pre Rup (with the "cistern" foreground)
Pre Rup, Angkor, Camboya, 2013-08-16, DD 08.JPG|View from the terminal pyramid
Pre Rup Angkor central tower and prasats.jpg|Central prasat with two of the four other prasats visible in front
Pre Rup, Angkor, Camboya, 2013-08-16, DD 04.JPG|Front view from the bottom
Pre Rup, Angkor, Camboya, 2013-08-16, DD 10.JPG|View from the top
Pre Rup, Angkor, Camboya, 2013-08-16, DD 09.JPG|Central tower
Pre Rup, Angkor, Camboya, 2013-08-16, DD 02.JPG|Buffalos at Pre Rup
Pre Rup temple.jpg|South side of Pre Rup temple
</gallery>

==Footnotes==
<references/>

==References==
*{{cite book
  |last1= Dumarçay
  |first1= Jacques
  |last2= Royère
  |first2= Pascal
  |last3= Smithies
  |first3= Michael
  |last4= Kähler
  |first4= Hans
  |last5= Arps
  |first5= Ben
  |last6= Spuler
  |first6= Bertold
  |last7= Altenmüller
  |first7= Hartwig
  |title= Cambodian Architecture, Eight to Thirteenth Century
  |year= 2001
  |publisher= Brill
  |isbn= 90-04-11346-0
  |ref=Dumarç2001}}

*{{cite book
  |last1= Freeman
  |first1= Michael
  |last2= Jacques
  |first2= Claude
  |title= Ancient Angkor
  |year= 2006
  |publisher= River Books
  |isbn= 974-8225-27-5
  |ref= FreJac2006
  |url-access= registration
  |url= https://archive.org/details/ancientangkor00free
  }}

*{{cite book
  |last1= Glaize
  |first1= Maurice
  |author-link1= Maurice Glaize
  |editor1-last= Tremmel
  |editor1-first= Nils
  |title= The Monuments of the Angkor Group
  |url= http://www.theangkorguide.com/images/download/angkor-guide.pdf 
  |access-date= 2009-08-01 
  |edition= based on the 4th
  |year= 2003
  |orig-year= 1993, First published 1944
  |ref= Glaize1993}}

==External links==
{{commons category|Pre Rup}}
*[http://www.bluffton.edu/~sullivanm/cambodia/prerup/prerup.html M.A. Sullivan's photos of Pre Rup] on Bluffton University website

{{Angkorian sites}}
{{SiemReapProvince}}

[[Category:Angkorian sites in Siem Reap province]]
[[Category:Hindu temples in Siem Reap province]]