Pre rup
The pyramid temple Pre Rup ( Khmer : ប្រាសាទប្រែរូប ), consecrated to Shiva , near the Cambodian city of Siem Reap , is the most important Angko temple of the 10th century.
history
When Jayavarman IV became king of the entire Khmer Empire in 928, he moved the capital of the Angkor Empire about 100 km to the northeast to Koh Ker . His successor Harshavarman II (reign 941-944) also resided in Koh Ker. King Rajendravarman II (reign 944–968), a cousin of Harshavarman II, moved back to Angkor, but not to the Phnom Bakheng , but a few kilometers away to the Eastern Baray . He had the former capital Yasodharapura restored and the island temple Eastern Mebon built, which was inaugurated in 952. Nine years later and 500 m south of it, his state temple, the pyramid temple Pre Rup was inaugurated. This has a similar blueprint as the Eastern Mebon, but is more complex and magnificent. The Pre Rup in turn served as a model for the much larger "temple mountains" Ta Keo and Angkor Wat .
architecture
From the east, a causeway , which is now largely displaced by the road that passes by, leads to the structure. A two-tier terrace and a three-tier steep pyramid (height 12 m) are layered on a base area of 127 by 117 m , on top of which rise five towers called Prasat , arranged in a quincunx , i.e. like the five points on a cube surface. The building materials, bottom up, are laterite , sandstone, and brick .
The four sides of the complex can be seen from the four cardinal points, and one climbs in the middle via steps with steps to the central, clearly raised tower. This architecture symbolizes in its alignment harmony with earth and sky, in its structure the path leading to the center and up to the gods who live on Mount Meru .
Further elements are in particular five brick towers and a chain of halls on the lower terrace level, two so-called libraries and other buildings on the upper terrace level and twelve smaller towers on the lowest pyramid level.
Architectural jewelry
Pre Rup is important because of its harmonious and style-defining architecture, not because of its architectural jewelry. However, the quality of the sandstone reliefs and the few remaining stucco work on the towers is consistently remarkable. The corners of the central tower and the east towers are provided with male guardians, the corners of the west towers with female guardian figures. The southwest tower shows Brahmi, the female principle Brahma (four heads, four arms), and Varahi, a female incarnation of Vishnu (boar head).
tourism
Anyone wishing to visit Pre Rup must show an Angkor temple pass. The sales point for these one-, three- and seven-day passes is on the road between Siem Reap and Angkor Wat.
Pre Rup is not overcrowded by tourists and is well suited to get in the mood for larger or more detailed temples. The view from the top of the pyramid into the surrounding area is rightly regarded as particularly beautiful: The sun sets behind rice fields , water buffalo pastures and the jungle .
See also
Individual evidence
- ↑ Csaba Kàdas: Koh Ker, short guide. Hunincor 2010, ISBN 978-963-08-0470-7 , p. 15.
- ↑ Jochen Mertens: The Sanskrit inscriptions from Bat Chum. Books on Demand, Norderstedt 2005, ISBN 3-8334-2497-4 , p. 25.
literature
- Michael Freeman, Claude Jacques: Ancient Angkor . River Books, Bangkok 1999, ISBN 974-8225-27-5 .
- Nick Ray: Cambodia . Lonely Planet Publications, Victoria 2005, ISBN 1-74059-525-4 .
- Johann Reinhart Zieger: Angkor and the Khmer temples in Cambodia . Silkworm Books, Chiang Mai 2006, ISBN 974-9575-60-1 .
Coordinates: 13 ° 26 ′ 7.7 ″ N , 103 ° 55 ′ 13.6 ″ E
