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 "The
Citadel of the women"
The tenth century temple of
Banteay Srei is renowned for
its intricate decoration
carved in pinkish sandstone
that covers the walls like
tapestry. This site warrants
as much time as your
schedule allows. The roads
have been recently repaired
and it takes about 30
minutes from Siem Reap to
get to the temple. To reach
Banteay Srei, follow the
main road north out of Siem
Reap, turn right at Angkor
Wat and follow the road to
Srah Srang where you turn
right past Preah Rup. At the
East Mebon there is a check
post where you need to
obtain clearnce. Turn right
again at the road before the
East Mebon; pass through the
village of Phoum Pradak,
where there is a junctions
(if you continue straight,
after about 5 minutes, you
will reach Banteay Samre).
At this point, you come to a
fork; take the road on the
left and follow it to
Batneay Srei which you will
reach shortly after crossing
two rivers - on your left
hand side.
Banteay Srei is an exquisite
miniature; a fairy palace in
the heart of an immense and
mysterious forest; the very
thing that Grimm delighted
to imagine, and that every
child's heart has yearned
after, but which mature
years has sadly proved too
lovely to be true. And here
it is, in the Cambodian
forest at Banteay Srei,
carved not out of the stuff
that dreams are made of, but
of solid sandstone.
Location: 25
kilometers (15.5 miles)
north-east of East Mebon
Access: enter and leave the
temple by the east entrance
Date: second half of the
10th century (967)
King: Rajendravarman II
(reigned 944-968) and
Jayavarman V (reigned
968-1001)
Religion: Hindu (dedicated
to Shiva)
Art style: Banteay Srei
Background
The enchanting temple of
Banteay Srei is nearly
everyone's favorite site.
The special charm of this
temple lies in its
remarkable state of
preservation, small size and
excellence of decoration.
The unanimous opinion
amongst French
archaeologists who worked at
Angkor is that Banteay Srei
is a 'precious gem' and a
'jewel in Khmer art'.
Banteay Srei, as it is known
by locals, was originally
called Isvarapura, according
to inscriptions. It was by a
Brahmin of royal descent who
was spiritual teacher to
Jayavarman V. Some describe
it a s being closer in
architecture and decoration
to Indian models than any
other temple at Angkor. A
special feature of the
exquisite decoration was the
use of a hard pink sandstone
(quartz arenite) where
enabled the 'technique of
sandalwood carving with even
an Indian scent to it'.
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