🏛️ Banteay Srei
Cambodia
About This Sacred Site
Banteay Srei, meaning 'Citadel of Women,' is a 10th-century Hindu temple dedicated to Shiva, located about 25 kilometers northeast of the main Angkor complex. Though small in scale compared to other Angkor temples, it is renowned for the extraordinary intricacy and quality of its red sandstone carvings, which are widely considered the finest in all of Khmer art. The delicate, deep relief carvings depict scenes from Hindu mythology with an almost jewel-like precision. French novelist Andre Malraux infamously attempted to steal four devatas (guardian figures) from the temple in 1923.
Key Facts
- •Built in 967 CE, it is one of the few Angkor temples not built by a king but by a Brahmin counselor
- •The intricate red sandstone carvings are considered the finest in all of Khmer art
- •Andre Malraux was arrested in 1923 for attempting to steal carvings from the temple
- •The name 'Citadel of Women' may refer to the delicacy of the carvings
- •The temple is built of pink sandstone, giving it a warm, rosy glow
Location
Coordinates: 13.5986, 103.9627
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