Banteay Srei
Siem Reap Province (near Angkor), Cambodia
- Deities
- Shiva
- Traditions
- shaiva
- Worship status
- heritage
- Coordinates
- 13.59889, 103.96278
- Best time to visit
- November to February (dry, cooler season); early morning light best shows the temple's fine pink-sandstone carving before the site gets crowded.
- How to reach
- About 25 km northeast of the main Angkor Archaeological Park near Siem Reap, reachable by car or tuk-tuk (roughly one hour from Siem Reap town); entry requires the standard Angkor Archaeological Park pass.
Location
Open in Google MapsConsecrated on 22 April 967 CE under its original name Tribhuvanamahesvara, “Great Lord of the Threefold World” — an epithet of Shiva — Banteay Srei stands apart from most other major Angkorian temples in that it was commissioned not directly by a king but by two court officials, Yajnavaraha and Vishnukumara, serving under King Rajendravarman II. Built roughly 25 km northeast of the main Angkor complex from fine-grained pink and red sandstone, the temple is celebrated for the exceptional depth and delicacy of its relief carving, which art historians have long singled out as among the finest surviving examples of Khmer stone sculpture, earning it the popular epithet “jewel of Khmer art.”
Though its miniature scale and remote setting long kept it comparatively less visited than the great temples nearer Angkor, Banteay Srei is now a well-established stop on the Angkor Archaeological Park circuit, having undergone dedicated restoration work between 2000 and 2003. Like Angkor Wat, it survives today purely as an archaeological and heritage site rather than a functioning place of Hindu worship, its significance resting on its documented Shaiva dedication and its standing as one of the most technically accomplished Hindu temples of the Angkorian era.
Sources
- historical record: Cross-checked against Wikipedia's account of Banteay Srei during verification pass: confirms consecration on 22 April 967 CE under the original name Tribhuvanamahesvara ('Great Lord of the Threefold World'), a name referring to Shiva; confirms that, unlike most major Angkorian temples, it was commissioned not by a reigning king but by courtiers/counselors, Yajnavaraha and Vishnukumara, during the reign of King Rajendravarman II; confirms its construction from fine-grained pink/red sandstone that enabled unusually intricate relief carving, and its reputation among art historians as 'the jewel of Khmer art'; confirms restoration work carried out 2000-2003 and access restrictions in place as of 2010.
For review
- Like Angkor Wat, already documented in this directory, Banteay Srei is today an archaeological and heritage site rather than a functioning place of Hindu worship; it is included here for its clearly documented Shaiva dedication and its significance as one of the best-preserved and most finely carved Angkorian-era Hindu temples.