Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
PRE RUP
0
20
metres
1st
Enclosing
Wall
Library
3
Cistern
Library
2nd Enclosing Wall
N
Halls
Lion Statues
Sanctuary Towers
Buildings
Brick Towers
opposite side of the enclosure, features a reasonably preserved lintel carving of Vishnu
in his incarnation as the man-lion Narasimha, ripping apart the king of the demons.
Above rise the two tiers of the central pyramid with almost life-sized
elephant
statues
positioned at each corner, serving as guardians, and so facing outwards.
Four sets of steps lead up to the
inner enclosure
, each flanked with a pair of
towers, their doors finely decorated with carved foliage. Five rectangular,
windowless laterite buildings are arranged around the enclosure, although their
original function remains unknown.
Further steps lead up to the topmost level and the five sanctuary
towers
, arranged in
the customary quincunx pattern. These are made of brick but were originally covered
in stucco - you can still see the numerous round holes cut into the brickwork to help
the coating adhere. The
carvings
on the sandstone lintels are also worth a look: the
central tower features Indra on a three-headed elephant (on its east side), Shiva on
Nandin (south) and Skanda on a peacock (west).
Ta Som
The small, tumbledown Buddhist temple of
TA SOM
has been badly knocked about by
time and the jungle since it was built by Jayavarman VII in the twelfth century, but still
