Banteay Srei

 Saturday, October 1, 2022

Citadel of Women 

After the beautiful sunrise we drove to Banteay Srei which is about 25 Km outside the Angkor Wat complex. On the way we stopped by a small village called Preah Dak. They were selling homemade vellam and other small items in the roadside shops.

We were the first ones to get there. Even the small stores in the front of the temple were not open. We walked in and waited for the ticket booth to open. While waiting Sam gave a lot of information about the timeline of construction and the sculptures inside. 

They had big posters comparing different landmarks around the world that was built around the same time. I was amazed to see Notre Dame Cathedral and the Chidambaram temple in that poster.

They had a beautiful pond filled with lotus leaves and flowers on the way to the temple. Papu opted to stay out and wait for us. Sam and I walked in and we were the only ones there. It was so quiet and serene.

They call Banteay Srei the Citadel of Women or the Citadel of Beauty because of the delicate nature of its detailed carvings

It is renowned for its petite scale, pink sandstone construction, and exceptionally intricate, well-preserved carvings

Jewel of Khmer Art

Every little inch was beautifully carved with scrolls and curls. The depth and the details of these carving were so exquisite and I was amazed at how it survived outdoor for so many centuries. The carvings of the characters were so cute inspite of their sharp teeth and supposedly menacing looks because of their small scale.

Red Sandstone allows for intricate, almost wooden-like detail.

I was so glad we were able to visit this jewel in the short time we had in Cambodia!

While I was visiting this place, Papu got a hot coffee at the shop and was chilling.

Amen!

It turned out to be a beautiful blue skies, golden sunlight kind of day!