Pre Rup

Temples of Angkor

LoginSave

Pre Rup, built by Rajendravarman II, is about 1km south of the Eastern Mebon and is a popular spot for sunset. The temple consists of a pyramid-shaped temple-mountain with the uppermost of the three tiers carrying five lotus towers. Pre Rup means ‘Turning the Body’ and refers to a traditional method of cremation in which a corpse’s outline is traced in the cinders: this suggests that the temple may have served as an early royal crematorium.

The brick sanctuaries here were once decorated with a plaster coating, fragments of which remain on the southwestern tower; there are some amazingly detailed lintel carvings here. Several of the outermost eastern towers are perilously close to collapse and are propped up by an army of wooden supports.

Pre Rup is one of the most popular sunset spots around Angkor, as the view over the surrounding rice fields of the Eastern Baray is beautiful, although some lofty trees have rather obscured it these days. It gets pretty crowded.

Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

  • 26408-37 Asia, Cambodia, Siem Reap, South-East Asia, aged, ancient, architecture, architecture and art, art, built structure, clear sky, culture, day, epoch, historic, history, horizontal, human representation, low angle view, no people, old, outdoors, past, sculpture, stone Stone heads, Bayon.

    Bayon

    4.09 MILES

    At the heart of Angkor Thom is the 12th-century Bayon, the mesmerising, if slightly mind-bending, state temple of Jayavarman VII. It epitomises the…

  • 26408-45 Asia, Cambodia, Siem Reap, South-East Asia, aged, architecture, architecture and art, art, built structure, carving, close-up, culture, day, female likeness, focus on foreground, history, horizontal, human representation, no people, old, outdoors, past, sculpture, statue, wall Bas-relief detail, Banteay Srei.

    Banteay Srei

    11.63 MILES

    Considered by many to be the jewel in the crown of Angkorian art, Banteay Srei is cut from stone of a pinkish hue and includes some of the finest stone…

  • A tree growing through the temple Beng Mealea in Angkor Wat. 500px Photo ID: 155059645 Angkor Wat, Cambodia, Beng Mealea, temple, ruins, rubble, decay, tree, Nikon, travel, travel photography, adventure, amazing, blocks, Siem Reap, SE Asia

    Beng Mealea

    20.95 MILES

    A spectacular sight to behold, Beng Mealea, located about 68km northeast of Siem Reap, is one of the most mysterious temples at Angkor, as nature has well…

  • Taken in Angkor Wat in Cambodia.

    Angkor Wat

    3.93 MILES

    The traveller's first glimpse of Angkor Wat, the ultimate expression of Khmer genius, is matched by only a few select spots on earth. Built by Suryavarman…

  • Flocks of nesting pelicans, comorants, and herons crowd the canopies of submered trees at Prek Toal Bird Sanctuary on Tongle Sap lake.

    Prek Toal Bird Sanctuary

    22.11 MILES

    Prek Toal is one of three biospheres on the Tonlé Sap lake, and this stunning bird sanctuary makes it the most worthwhile and straightforward of the three…

  • Overgrown temple of Ta Prohm.

    Ta Prohm

    2.11 MILES

    The so-called 'Tomb Raider Temple', Ta Prohm is cloaked in dappled shadow, its crumbling towers and walls locked in the slow muscular embrace of vast root…

  • Entrance to Angkor National Museum, Siem Reap, Cambodia.

    Angkor National Museum

    6.24 MILES

    Looming large on the road to Angkor is the Angkor National Museum, a state-of-the-art showpiece on the Khmer civilisation and the majesty of Angkor…

View more attractions

Nearby Temples of Angkor attractions

1. Eastern Mebon

0.8 MILES

This Hindu temple, erected by Rajendravarman II, would once have been situated on an islet in the centre of the Eastern Baray, but it is now very much on…

2. Eastern Baray

0.83 MILES

The enormous one-time reservoir known as the Eastern Baray was excavated by Yasovarman I, who marked its four corners with stelae. This basin, now…

3. Sra Srang

1.19 MILES

Just east of Banteay Kdei is a basin of earlier construction, Sra Srang, measuring 800m by 400m, which was reserved for the king and his wives. A tiny…

4. Banteay Kdei & Sra Srang

1.46 MILES

Banteay Kdei, a massive Buddhist monastery from the latter part of the 12th century, is surrounded by four concentric walls. Each of its four entrances is…

5. Prasat Kravan

1.75 MILES

Uninspiring from the outside, the interior brick carvings concealed within its towers are the hidden treasure of Prasat Kravan. The five brick towers,…

6. Ta Som

2.09 MILES

Standing to the east of Preah Neak Poan, Ta Som is one of the late-12th-century Buddhist temples of prolific builder Jayavarman VII. The most impressive…

7. Ta Prohm

2.11 MILES

The so-called 'Tomb Raider Temple', Ta Prohm is cloaked in dappled shadow, its crumbling towers and walls locked in the slow muscular embrace of vast root…

8. Preah Neak Poan

2.6 MILES

The Buddhist temple of Preah Neak Poan is a petite yet perfect temple constructed by Jayavarman VII in the late 12th century. It has a large square pool…

  • placement: superzone
  • path: Destinations/POIs/superzone
  • possible size: [970, 250], [970, 90], [728, 90], [1, 1],
  • targeting: 
    {
  "url": "cambodia/temples-of-angkor/attractions/pre-rup/a/poi-sig/500554/1002179",
  "destination": "Temples-of-Angkor",
  "continent": "Asia",
  "country": "Cambodia",
  "region": "Temples-of-Angkor",
  "position": "superzone"
}