PRE RUP: " Turn" or "Change, The Body"
Location: northeast of Srah Srang and 500m south of the East Baray
Date: Second half of the tenth century (961)
King: Rajendravarman II (reigned 944-968)
Religion: Hindu (dedicated to Shiva)
Art style: Pre Rup
Because the temple is built entirely of brick and laterite, the warm tones of these materials are best seen early in the morning or when the sun is setting. Two views from the top terrace are outstanding: first, looking east towards Phnom Bok and Phnom Kulen; and second, looking west, where the towers of Angkor Wat can be distinguished on the far horizon.
Pre Rup is the temple's name, means "turning the body" from a later developed local myth. The process of turning a corpse during a cremation rite and associated with a sandstone cistern shape found in front of the eastern staircase of the main shrine's foundation. The name 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.
The local people understood that after the cremation, the remains of the king and collected ashes were washed at another square laterite building at a northeast location next to the long hall nearby.
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