Beauty Beyond Belief at Banteay Srei - Cambodia blog entry #21

Monday, September 23, we had three more temples to tour on our agenda. We set out early - not as early as the day before, though. This day we had time for a leisurely breakfast at the hotel. The French toast was delicious – more on that on an upcoming blog post. 

By far I would say that thet Banteay Srei temple was the most beautiful we visited.

Considered by many to be the crown jewel of all the Angkor area temples, Banteay Srei is cut from stone of a pinkish hue and includes some of the finest stone carving anywhere on earth.

Work on it began in 967 CE, and though it is one of the smallest sites, it is exquisite.  

Banteay Srei is the only major temple which was not commissioned by rulers. Credit for its construction is given to the courtiers named Vishnukumara and Yajnavaraha, who served as a counsellor to King Rajendravarman II. 

Yajnavaraha dedicated the temple to the Hindu god Shiva and gave it a long, unpronounceable name. Tribhuvanamaheshvara (not that you can pronounce his name either).

The temple's modern name, Banteay Srei—citadel of the women, or citadel of beauty—is probably used to describe the intricacy of the bas relief carvings found on the walls and the small dimensions of the buildings themselves. 

It is a stunning place. 

I expected these guys to come to life any minute and take off on a quest to save the queen, or hunt down Indiana Jones.