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.

Birthday Greetings

Som owie nek mein aryouk yrinyu (Cambodian) and Kblat chikan (Khmer) to our fellow camwhore in Cambodia, Nins!

Here she is in various candid shots (ruining Charlie's frame) during the trip:

At Banteay Srei/Srey

At Banteay Samre

At Angkor Wat

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And finally, a not candid picture:

A *beaming* Nins with the Hindu god Vishnu (to whom Angkor Wat was dedicated)

Happy birthday Nins!

The First Afternoon

After taking a filling breakfast and a refreshing bath (but still no real sleep!), we headed out for our very first temple visit. Since we did not have a tour guide yet, Mr. Hav suggested two temples we could see to make the most of the day, considering that the The Angkor Archaeological Park’s visiting hours are from 5 am to 6 pm only. It was already 1 pm when we left The Villa, so that didn’t really leave us with much time.

Before we could see the temples though, we had to secure an admission pass at the main entrance of the Park. Passes are sold in one-day (US$20), three-day (US$40) and seven-day (US$60) blocks, which must be used on consecutive days. The temple pass will be checked whenever you enter the park and when you visit major temples, so be sure not to lose it lest you wish to be fined.

After receiving our three-day temple pass we made our way to Banteay Srei/Srey, which was perhaps the farthest temple we visited in our trip. It is 37 kilometers away from Siem Reap, and it took us about an hour’s tuk-tuk ride from the Park entrance to get there. The journey was no picnic, and it was there where we saw how simple life in Siem Reap really was – away from the bustling tourist center, away from the seat of government, away from urban progress in general.

Once again the sights along the road to Banteay Srei/Srey resembled that of life in rural Philippines. Since the trip was long there was nothing for us to do but amuse ourselves with the scenery, which began with rice paddies and plains that stretched out across the horizon and disappeared into distant mountains or hills; a few trees, bushes, and canals appeared once in a while to break the monotony.

It was difficult for us to talk to each other during the trip because if the partially-paved roads in Siem Reap Town are dusty enough as it is, the outskirts of the town had to do without the benefits of paved roads at all. It was dusty and uneven, and if we opened our mouths we would soon chew on the red clay dust stirred up by our tuk-tuk’s wheels. It was even worse when trucks, tourist coasters and cars (which, incidentally, come in both left-hand and right-hand drives in Cambodia) would pass us by, as if literally asking us poor tuk-tuk passengers to eat their dust.

The houses along the roads were like the nipa huts in the Philippines, except that well, they weren’t made of nipa. They were a combination of wood and cement, with usually the foundation made of cement while the houses themselves were made of wood. They were elevated, one-floor houses surrounded by livestock and plants outside. We noticed that most, if not all houses, had wells and stone burners/ovens out front, indicating a less-than modern mode of life. (It was easy for us to see that electricity had not reached this part of town yet.) They also had wooden makeshift stalls parked in front of their houses, which carried various handmade goods such as wood carvings, weave baskets and hats. They also sold other souvenir items like shirts, kramas (traditional Khmer scarf), batik skirts, etc.

It made us wonder how these people felt about “intruders” like us, for the sound of all those vehicles passing by certainly did not fit into the plain and quiet life of this province. They must hate it – or perhaps have grown to like it – having outsiders disturb their peace, because it seems they have no other choice but to live with the most profitable trade of their town.

(Somewhere along the way we also saw a fenced compound called “Cha-Cha,” but no, it’s not related to the dance. From the sign outside the gate we read that it was a center where the victims of landmines worked to make souvenirs, which explained the sign’s accompanying appeal to us to support these products. Tourists are still of some use, after all.)

Anyway, this entry is running a bit too long now (sorry, got carried away describing the journey). The visit to Banteay Srei/Srey deserves its own, dedicated space, which we promise will be the focus of the next entry. In the meantime, here’s a picture of the temple to keep you curious:

Let the camwhoring of the temples begin!