Banteay Srei (or Srey)

The three central towers of Banteay Srei

Lying 37-38 kilometers away from Siem Reap Town and a little more than 20 kilometers north of Angkor, “Banteay Srei” is routinely described as the “Jewel of Khmer Art” and features some of the finest examples of classical Khmer art -- “a temple of great beauty, and compares with little else in Angkor.” Its miniature scale, pink sandstone construction, and the ornate, near-total decoration of its surfaces is “exceptional,” giving the temple a sort of “fairyland ambiance”.

The name “Banteay Srei” is a relatively modern one and loosely translates to “Citadel of Women” or “Citadel of Beauty,” presumably refering to its size and the delicacy of its decoration. The temple's actual name was Tribhuvanamahesvara, or “Great Lord of the Threefold World.” It was built in the 2nd half of the 10th century and was consecrated on 22 April 967.

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From outside its Eastern entrance, Banteay Srei seemed rather unimpressive; as the very first temple we visited, we had hoped to see a majestic structure that would set the tone of our trip. We had equated the word “temple” with images of the legendary Angkor Wat, and to see the small, leveled ruins of Banteay Srei was indeed a wee bit disappointing. Though we knew it was considered a “minor temple,” we couldn't exactly be blamed for expecting something a little bit more grand. The romance of history, however, lingered strong in the atmosphere of Banteay Srei, which was enough to bring us into awe with the ruins.

It may look like just a bunch of stones from the entrance, but the beauty of Banteay Srei lies at the heart of this temple's complex. The temple is a series of concentric squares, and as each “square” got smaller, it seemed as if the temple structures and carvings became more intricate, delicate, and impressive.

Detailed carving on the Eastern entrance

More samples of the delicate and intricate carvings at Banteay Srei

Restored carving (top) and details up close (bottom)

At the very center of the complex stood three towers and a sanctuary flanked by libraries on each side, all clustered together. Each had detailed carvings all over it – from the foundation up to the roof, the elaborate depictions of scenes from Hindu mythology was simply astounding. Thinking about how carvings of such fine detail and quality were accomplished without the aid of modern tools was just awe-inspiring and often led us to contemplate on how our own modern structures would be regarded in the future, should our present civilization likewise perish.

Symmetry is consistent in all temples

Ruins of a gallery along the entrance causeway

This inscription on a door frame carries the names of the temple's "donors" and their "donations"

Entrance pavilion leading to the inner enclosure. The area where the grass grows used to be the moat area.

Detail on the entrance pavilion leading to the inner enclosure

A scene from "The Ramayana": the battle between King Rama and the Monkey King

Restored carvings (top); up close, detail of Vishnu riding Ganesh (bottom)

It was unfortunate that the central complex at the time of our visit was cordoned off from tourists, as repair and restoration works were being made then. From the outside though one could still peer into the sanctuary’s and libraries’ doors and see the silhouettes of other stone structures within them still visible from afar. If one stood there to take in the view, one could easily imagine how, at the height of this civilization, people came and went through those same doors to worship Shiva and Vishnu.

Heart of the temple complex was off-limit to tourists

View of one of the libraries against the towers

The cluster of structures, as viewed from one of the galleries. Foreground right is the library; foreground center is the sanctuary; towers rise at the background

Front view of the sanctuary

Side view of the sanctuary leading to the tower (top and bottom pics)

The library

Yes, one can only imagine indeed.

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Of interesting note in our Banteay Srei experience was our first encounter with temple vendors who ambush tourists going in and out of the temples. Ambulant and sedentary vendors are commonplace among the temples areas, and it amused us (and sometimes scared or moved us to pity) whenever they called out or approached us to sell their goods.

Most of the ambulant ones are children, and whenever they see tourists coming up to or out of the temples they would all flock to these tourists and deliver their unforgettable sales pitch. What made it amusing was that their pitch consisted of the same line delivered over and over again in singsong manner, like it was a regulated speech they had to memorize. In our case it always went like this (recite with Cambodian accent, please):

“Lady, you want (name of product here)? Where are you from? When you come out of the temple you buy from me, okay? I remember your face lady.”

You have to admit, the last sentence of this pitch is pretty threatening even when said by children in sweet, singsong voices. However they say it, it still sounds like a threat:

“I know your face lady, and I will come after you. You can’t escape me.”

Phew.