CAMBODIA -BANTEAY SREI TEMPLE( A MONUMENT OF ELABORATE ARISTIC MASTERY)

BANTEAY SREI TEMPLE( A MONUMENT OF ELABORATE ARISTIC MASTERY)

Consecrated in 967 A.D, Banteay Srei was speculated to have been known earlier as Banteay Serai, which, which literally means the Citadel of Victory . This was the only major temple at Angkor not built by a monarch; its construction is credited to a courier named Yajnavaraha, who was a scholar and philanthropist and a counselor to king Rajendracvarman. He was known to have helped those who suffered from illness, injustice or poverty.

Banteay Srei is built primarily in red sandstone , a medium that lends itself to the elaborate decorative wall carvings which are still observable in fine details today. Measured by the standards of Angkorian construction, the buildings themselves are miniature in scale. These factors have led to its being wildly praised as a “precious gem” , or the “ jewel of Khmer art” and perhaps the temple’s modern name, Banteay Srei or Citadel of Women, is probably related to the intricacy of the bas relief carvings of devatas found on the walls and the tiny dimensions of the buildings themselves.

LANDMARK:

This site consists of 3 concentric rectangular enclosures constructed on an east west axis.

A causeway takes you to the inner sanctuary, consisting of an entrance chamber and 3 towers, as well as 2 buildings conventionally referred to as libraries.