Cambodia

Cambodia — Day 2: Banteay Srei Temple (ប្រាសាទបន្ទាយស្រី), Angkor Archaeological Park, Angkor, Cambodia

Nick Morris

Nick Morris

— 3 min read

Day 2 of temples

September 2015

Day 2 of my tour of the temples in Angkor Archaeological Park started with a 50-minute drive from Siem Reap along some very rough roads.

On the drive, we passed numerous fields growing rice and went through several small villages. I saw many houses raised on stilts and small stalls by the road selling food. There seemed to be miles of stalls along the road. Stalls fronted nearly every home in the small villages. Did they ever sell anything? Some stalls appear abandoned.

We arrived at Banteay Srei Temple (ប្រាសាទបន្ទាយស្រី) at about 9:20 am, and it was raining again.

I popped into the visitor’s centre for some snacks from a mini-market. The centre also had some shops selling souvenirs.

Banteay Srei Temple (ប្រាសាទបន្ទាយស្រី) was very busy, and there were also numerous kids around selling postcards, beads, and guidebooks.

Banteay Srei Temple (ប្រាសាទបន្ទាយស្រី) was built during the reign of Rajendravarman (944-968), and so was the oldest temple I had so far visited. Angkor Wat Temple (អង្គរវត្ត) was built between 1110 and 1150; Angkor Thom (អង្គរធំ) and Ta Prohm (ប្រាសាទតាព្រហ្ម), were both built between 1181 and 1218;

Banteay Srei Temple (ប្រាសាទបន្ទាយស្រី) is the only temple in Angkor Archaeological Park not built by a monarch.

For more information about Banteay Srei Temple (ប្រាសាទបន្ទាយស្រី), please see Wikipedia.

Photo by Author — the crowds at Banteay Srei Temple (ប្រាសាទបន្ទាយស្រី), Angkor Archaeological Park, Angkor, Cambodia
Photo by Author — the crowds at Banteay Srei Temple (ប្រាសាទបន្ទាយស្រី), Angkor Archaeological Park, Angkor, Cambodia
Photo by Author — stunning stonework above the doorway — Banteay Srei Temple (ប្រាសាទបន្ទាយស្រី), Angkor Archaeological Park, Angkor, Cambodia
Photo by Author — stunning stonework above the doorway — Banteay Srei Temple (ប្រាសាទបន្ទាយស្រី), Angkor Archaeological Park, Angkor, Cambodia
Photo by Author — the place was crowded — Banteay Srei Temple (ប្រាសាទបន្ទាយស្រី), Angkor Archaeological Park, Angkor, Cambodia
Photo by Author — the place was crowded — Banteay Srei Temple (ប្រាសាទបន្ទាយស្រី), Angkor Archaeological Park, Angkor, Cambodia

I have no idea what the text says carved on the stone in the photo below, but the artistry and flow of the letters were beautiful (now that I have said that someone will comment that it is not a pleasant passage of text).

Photo by Author — Banteay Srei Temple (ប្រាសាទបន្ទាយស្រី), Angkor Archaeological Park, Angkor, Cambodia
Photo by Author — Banteay Srei Temple (ប្រាសាទបន្ទាយស្រី), Angkor Archaeological Park, Angkor, Cambodia
Photo by Author — Banteay Srei Temple (ប្រាសាទបន្ទាយស្រី), Angkor Archaeological Park, Angkor, Cambodia
Photo by Author — Banteay Srei Temple (ប្រាសាទបន្ទាយស្រី), Angkor Archaeological Park, Angkor, Cambodia

Just at the other temples, the quality of the craving was spectacular, particularly when you consider how long ago they were done.

Photo by Author — Banteay Srei Temple (ប្រាសាទបន្ទាយស្រី), Angkor Archaeological Park, Angkor, Cambodia
Photo by Author — Banteay Srei Temple (ប្រាសាទបន្ទាយស្រី), Angkor Archaeological Park, Angkor, Cambodia
Photo by Author — stunning carvings — Banteay Srei Temple (ប្រាសាទបន្ទាយស្រី), Angkor Archaeological Park, Angkor, Cambodia
Photo by Author — stunning carvings — Banteay Srei Temple (ប្រាសាទបន្ទាយស្រី), Angkor Archaeological Park, Angkor, Cambodia
Photo by Author — Banteay Srei Temple (ប្រាសាទបន្ទាយស្រី), Angkor Archaeological Park, Angkor, Cambodia
Photo by Author — Banteay Srei Temple (ប្រាសាទបន្ទាយស្រី), Angkor Archaeological Park, Angkor, Cambodia
Photo by Author — Banteay Srei Temple (ប្រាសាទបន្ទាយស្រី), Angkor Archaeological Park, Angkor, Cambodia
Photo by Author — Banteay Srei Temple (ប្រាសាទបន្ទាយស្រី), Angkor Archaeological Park, Angkor, Cambodia
Photo by Author — Banteay Srei Temple (ប្រាសាទបន្ទាយស្រី), Angkor Archaeological Park, Angkor, Cambodia
Photo by Author — Banteay Srei Temple (ប្រាសាទបន្ទាយស្រី), Angkor Archaeological Park, Angkor, Cambodia
Photo by Author — combat between Vāli and Sugrīva — Banteay Srei Temple (ប្រាសាទបន្ទាយស្រី), Angkor Archaeological Park, Angkor, Cambodia
Photo by Author — combat between Vāli and Sugrīva — Banteay Srei Temple (ប្រាសាទបន្ទាយស្រី), Angkor Archaeological Park, Angkor, Cambodia
Photo by Author — Banteay Srei Temple (ប្រាសាទបន្ទាយស្រី), Angkor Archaeological Park, Angkor, Cambodia
Photo by Author — Banteay Srei Temple (ប្រាសាទបន្ទាយស្រី), Angkor Archaeological Park, Angkor, Cambodia
Photo by Author — restoration and conservation work at Banteay Srei Temple (ប្រាសាទបន្ទាយស្រី), Angkor Archaeological Park, Angkor, Cambodia
Photo by Author — restoration and conservation work at Banteay Srei Temple (ប្រាសាទបន្ទាយស្រី), Angkor Archaeological Park, Angkor, Cambodia
Photo by Author — Banteay Srei Temple (ប្រាសាទបន្ទាយស្រី), Angkor Archaeological Park, Angkor, Cambodia
Photo by Author — Banteay Srei Temple (ប្រាសាទបន្ទាយស្រី), Angkor Archaeological Park, Angkor, Cambodia
Photo by Author — Banteay Srei Temple (ប្រាសាទបន្ទាយស្រី), Angkor Archaeological Park, Angkor, Cambodia
Photo by Author — Banteay Srei Temple (ប្រាសាទបន្ទាយស្រី), Angkor Archaeological Park, Angkor, Cambodia
Photo by Author — Banteay Srei Temple (ប្រាសាទបន្ទាយស្រី), Angkor Archaeological Park, Angkor, Cambodia
Photo by Author — Banteay Srei Temple (ប្រាសាទបន្ទាយស្រី), Angkor Archaeological Park, Angkor, Cambodia

I was impressed by the Banteay Srei Temple ((ប្រាសាទបន្ទាយស្រី); the craftsmanship was again astonishing. I only stayed for 40 minutes as I needed to move on to Banteay Samré (បន្ទាយសំរែ).

Foursquare: Banteay Srei Temple ប្រាសាទបន្ទាយស្រី

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