The tenth-century temple of Banteay Srei is known for its intricate decoration carved in pinkish sandstone that covers the walls like tapestries. This site guarantees all the time that your schedule allows.

The roads have been recently repaired and it takes about 30 minutes from Siem Reap to reach the temple. To reach Banteay Srei, follow the main road in the north of Siem Reap, turn right into Angkor Wat and follow the road to Srah Srang, where you turn right after Pre Rup.

At East Mebon there is a checkpoint where you need to get Clearnce. Turn right again on the road before East Mebon; cross the village of Phoum Pradak where there are junctions (if you continue straight ahead, after about 5 minutes, you will reach Banteay Samre). At this point, you reached a fork; take the road on the left and follow it to Batneay Srei, which you will reach shortly after crossing two rivers - on the left side.

Banteay Srei is an exquisite miniature; a fairy palace in the heart of an immense and mysterious forest; The only thing Grimm was delighted to imagine, and what every child's heart has wanted, but what mature years, unfortunately, have proved too adorable to be true. And here it is, in the Cambodian forest of Banteay Srei, did not hide the things that the dreams are made, but of solid sandstone.

Banteay Srei Background

The enchanting temple of Banteay Srei is the favorite of almost everyone. The special charm of this temple is in its remarkable state of preservation, small size and excellence of decoration.

The unanimous opinion among French archaeologists who worked in Angkor is that Banteay Srei is a "precious jewel" 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 a spiritual teacher of Jayavarman V. Some describe that he is being closer in architecture and decoration to Indian models than any other temple in Angkor. A special feature of the exquisite decoration was the use of a hard pink sandstone (quartz sandstone) where it enabled the "sandal carving technique with even an Indian scent".

Location: 25 km (15.5 miles) northeast of East Mebon

Access: enter and exit the temple through the east entrance

Date: second half of the 10th century (967)

King: Rajendravarman II (reign 944-968) and Jayavarman V (reign 968-1001)

Religion: Hindu (dedicated to Shiva)

Art style: Banteay Srei

Materials and style

Banteay Srei is constructed largely of a hard red sandstone that can be carved like wood. The brick and laterite were used only for walls of the casing and some structural elements. The temple is known for the beauty of its lintels and pieces of sandstone.

A pediment is the approximately triangular space above an entrance or rectangular openings. In Banteay Srei, the gables are relatively large compared to the openings below, and take on a sweeping shape. For the first time in the history of Khmer architecture, entire scenes of mythological subject are portrayed in the pediments.

A lintel is a horizontal beam that spans the space between two posts. Some lintels serve a structural purpose, serving to support the weight of the superstructure, while others are purely decorative in purpose. The lintels at Banteay Srei are beautifully carved, rivaling the 9th century Preah Ko style with quality.

Many niches on the walls of the temple contain carvings of devatas or dvarapalas.

Notable decorative motifs include the kala (a symbolic toothy time monster), the guardian dvarapala (an armed temple guard) and devata (demi-goddess), the false gate and the colony. [16] In fact, decorative sculptures seem to cover almost all available surfaces. According to the pioneering scholar of Angkor Maurice Glaize, "Given the very particular charm of Banteay Srei - his remarkable state of preservation and the excellence of an almost perfect ornamental technique - one should not hesitate, of all the monuments of the Angkor group, to give the highest priority. " In Banteay Srei, Glaize wrote, "the work relates more to the art of the silversmith or to carving in wood than to carving in stone"