Banteay Srei
Banteay Srey · Citadel of Women · Tribhuvanamaheshvara
Angkor Early 967 CE·Hindu Shaiva (Brahmin Yajnavaraha)·🇰🇭 Siem Reap Province, 25 km northeast of Angkor Thom (32 km from Siem Reap town), Cambodia
About
About Banteay Srei
Pink sandstone Hindu temple (967 CE) dedicated to Shiva Tribhuvanamaheshvara, built by Brahmin guru Yajnavaraha — only Angkor temple not founded by king — miniature (base 500×500 m laterite enclosure) but famed for virtuoso bas-relief in rose-pink sandstone: dense narrative friezes of Ramayana and Mahabharata with 1 mm carving precision, deep undercut foliage, and central sanctuary. Rediscovered by Malraux theft scandal 1923 and anastylosis Henri Marchal 1930–36.
Why it mattersApex of Khmer miniature carving precision; proof that non-royal elite could endow major temple; Rosetta for Ramayana iconography.
Open questions
Mysteries & theories
Mysteries
- 01Why allowed non-royal temple against royal monopoly?
Theories
- 01Brahmin counsellor patronage model vs king
Theories are interpretations, not findings. The seal above tells you how much scholarly weight the place carries.
History
How it came to be
- Built
- 967 CE dedicated 22 April (inscription) — Rajendravarman II reign
- Period
- Angkor Early 967 CE
- Culture
- Hindu Shaiva (Brahmin Yajnavaraha)
- Builders
- Brahmin guru Yajnavaraha and brother Vishnukumara
- Purpose
- Brahminical temple and court school (asrama)
- Abandoned
- 13th c. after Angkor shift to Bayon Buddhism
- Rediscovered
- 1914 Louis Finot survey; 1923 Malraux theft; restored Marchal 1930s
- Excavation
- Excavated
967-04-22
Stele dedication by Yajnavaraha
1923
André Malraux arrested for stealing 4 apsara carvings
On the ground
Structures & features
13.5910° N · 103.9620° E · 65 m · 1 mapped feature
Central sanctuary and pediments
sanctuaryTribhuvanamaheshvara shrine with Ramayana pediments
13.5912° N · 103.9622° E
Gallery