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Photo: Banteay Srei
Located slightly
away from the central area of Angkor, Banteay Srei is a
small temple but its carvings are very
beautiful. It is located 35 kilometers from Siem Reap
town on the way to Kulen Mountain, one of the
historical places of Cambodia. Originally called
Tribhuvanamahesvara, its current name means
citadel of the women to depict the beauty of its
intricate carvings. The unique structure of this
place is that whole scenes is shown on the
pediments for the first time in Khmer
architecture.
It is built using
mostly sandstone, with bricks and laterite used
only for the enclosure walls and some structural
elements, and the unique carvings here are considered
as a jewel of Khmer art. What draws
visitors here are its elaborated carvings that
adorn the doorways and walls. It was built by
King Rajendravarman II and Jayavarman V in the
second half of the 10th century and it was
dedicated to Hinduism and tourists come here
just to admire the unique carvings on the walls
of the temple.
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