Banteay Srei Cambodia

Banteay Srei is a 10th century CE Cambodian temple dedicated to the Hindu gods Shiva and Parvati. Located in the area of Angkor, it lies near the hill of Phnom Dei, 25 km (16 mi) north-east of the main group of temples that once belonged to the medieval capitals of Yaśodharapura and Angkor Thom. Banteay Srei is built largely of red sandstone, a medium that lends itself to the elaborate decorative wall carvings which are still observable today. The buildings themselves are miniature in scale, unusually so when measured by the standards of Angkorian construction. These factors have made the temple extremely popular with tourists, and have led to its being widely praised as the jewel of Khmer art.

History
Foundation and dedication

Consecrated on 22 April 967 CE, Banteay Srei was the only major temple at Angkor not built by rulers; its construction is credited to the courtiers named Vishnukumara and Yajnavaraha, who served as counsellors to King Rajendravarman II. The foundational stela says that Yajnavaraha, grandson of King Harshavarman I,: 117  was a scholar and philanthropist who helped those who suffered from illness, injustice, or poverty. His pupil was the future King Jayavarman V (r. 968 – ca. 1001). Originally, the temple was surrounded by a town called Ishvarapura.

Yajnavaraha’s temple was primarily dedicated to the Hindu god Shiva. Originally, it carried the name Tribhuvanamaheshvara—great lord of the threefold world—in reference to the Shiva statue that served as its central religious image. However, the temple buildings appear to be divided along the central east–west axis between those buildings located south of the axis, which are devoted to Shiva, and those north of the axis, which are devoted to Vishnu.

The temple’s modern name, Banteay Srei—citadel of the women, or citadel of beauty—is probably related to the intricacy of the bas relief carvings found on the walls and the tiny dimensions of the buildings themselves. Some have speculated that it relates to the many devatas carved into the walls of the buildings.