Cambodia - BANTEAY SREI (1of7) [EN]

A little more than 20 km north of Angkor, almost at the foot of the Kulen Mountains, sits the remarkable small temple of Banteay Srei. The name, relatively modern, means 'Citadel of the Women, or perhaps 'Citadel of Beauty', and presumably refers to its size and the delicacy of its decoration. The temple's actual name, taken from that of its central linga, was Tribhuvanamahesvara - 'Great Lord of the Threefold World.

Unlike the major sites at Angkor, Banteay Srei was not a royal temple. It was built by one of Rajendravarman's counsellors, Yajnavaraha, who was also the guru of the future king Jayavarman V. Yajnavaraha was granted this land on the banks of the upper Siem Reap river by the king. He and his younger brother commissioned the temple, which was finished just a year before King Rajendravarman died. As usual, a settlement surrounded the temple; in this case, the name of the small city was Isvarapura.

Routinely described in gushing terms as the 'Jewel of Khmer Art', Banteay Srei is nevertheless a temple of great beauty, and compares with little else in Angkor. Its miniature scale almost always surprises visitors, and the near-total decoration of its surfaces is exceptional.

Discovered by the French only in 1914 (it escaped the attention of both Aymonier and Lunet de la Jonquiere), it achieved an early notoriety when Andre Malraux, who later wrote Man's Fate and was Minister of Culture under the de Gaulle administration, removed four apsaras in 1923. He was caught almost immediately and the pieces recovered. The restoration of the temple between 1931 and 1936 by Marchal was notable for the first significant use at Angkor of the technique of anastylosis, adopted from the Dutch work in the East Indies.

Category:

Education

Tags:

• Cambodia
• Kampuchea
• Khmer
• Banteay
• Srei
• Tribhuvanamahesvara
• Kulen
• Mountains

[suzzannamaniest]

great video, but better used traditional Khmer music

[suri441]

I am yet to recover from the finest architecture of Banteay Srei apart from other temples/Angkor Wat,which I visted in Oct I week.

This you tube presentation is so beautifully done,I am grateful to the author.Hindus must atleast try to look into the great culture ,our ancestos have lived and died for,whether it is asia or anywhereels.

[vic86m]

There was Nothing called as India those times! There were ONLY HINDUS from Afghanistan to Indonesia & Bali! What ruined was INVASION of "Foreign religion" and "Indigenous religions"

This genius of Art is a HINDU legacy, not Indian or Cambodian or Buddhist.

[KHMER13BOY]

j adore !!!!

[xslash678]

yah khmer with indian influence. the indian influenced early khmer religion/culture no?

[dragon7heads]

It does not mean that all the explanation above are all right.

[dragon7heads]

It is KHmer's not indian

[letterzrnumbers]

cool