Banteay Srei: Citadel of Women

July 04, 2016

Banteay Srei: An Unlikely Discovery

You’re walking through the jungle with a local village boy leading the way avoiding thorns and ducking under overgrowth. He then signals up ahead. Through the dense forest, you can barely make out a shadowy outline behind the trees. As you approach, it becomes clear that very few have set eyes on this for a very long time. The boy then leads you to a doorway with detailed carvings overhead. Going through, all of a sudden you find yourself on a stone pathway with water on both sides lined with stone pillars. As you continue down the path, ahead opens up to a beautiful temple with detailed carvings throughout. This is likely the way French archaeologists first stumbled across Banteay Srei nearly 100 years ago. Civilization had lost this temple in the jungle for many centuries.

Banteay Srei Temple

Banteay Srei: The Citadel of Women

Banteay Srei literally means “Citadel of Women”. Locals gave it this name due to its smaller scale and the intricate stonework throughout the temple. Built mostly out of rose-coloured sandstone, Banteay Srei has a unique texture to it and sets itself apart in appearance from the other Angkor temples. There are intricate libraries as well as three central towers and lotus flowers carved into the walls. Gazing on the temple, I felt a growing sense of curiosity. Stone chiseled mythical guardians protect each of the tower doorways. Above the doors are interesting stories played out in the carvings showing battles of Hindu mythology.

It was the only major temple not built by monarchs. Instead, two nobles of the king, who studied ancient Hindu texts, built Banteay Srei. Archaeologists often refer to Banteay Srei as the “Khmer Jewel of Art”. This is because the carvings are among the most detailed in the world from anything surviving that time period. In addition, they found the temple surprisingly well preserved since its establishment in AD 967. EFEO restored Banteay Srei in 1930. Being the first, its success led to the restoration of many more temples.