Banteay Srei, Angkor, Cambodia
January 2012
©2012 G J Porter
| Completed
in 967, Banteay Srei was the only major temple at Angkor not built for
the king. Instead it was constructed by Yajnvavahara, one of the
king's counselors. The southern buildings of the temple were
dedicated to Shiva and the northern ones to Vishnu. The temple's
original name was Tribhuvanamahesvara - "great lord of the threefold
world" named after the central image a Shalvite linga. The modern
name, Banteay Srei - "citadel of the women" or "citadel of beauty"
generally refers to the intricacy of the carvings and tiny dimension of
the architecture. |