Banteay Srei

Banteay Srei is a Hindu temple complex built in 967 CE, situated about 23 kilometres northeast of Angkor Wat deep in the Cambodian countryside. Constructed from distinctive pinkish-red sandstone rather than the grey laterite common elsewhere in the Angkor complex, the temple is dedicated to Shiva and is widely regarded as the jewel of Khmer decorative art — its name translates roughly as 'Citadel of the Women', a reference to the almost impossibly delicate quality of its carved reliefs. Pediments and lintels are covered in dense mythological scenes drawn from the Mahabharata and Ramayana, with a precision unmatched across the entire Angkor region. In 1923, the future French Minister of Culture André Malraux was arrested for attempting to remove carved stone sections from the site — a scandal that galvanised Cambodian heritage protection. Arriving at opening time rewards visitors with raking light across the carvings and far smaller crowds than the main Angkor temples.