20. Banteay Srei
Temple
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| On the Way, Saw This Amazing Load |
Banteay Srei is called the
Women’s Temple. It is said to be the best preserved temple with carvings of the
finest detail; dedicated to the god Shiva. Shiva the creator, protector and
transformer of the Universe; she is usually represented by a statue with 2 or 4
arms. But really, gods have no gender. And sometimes Shiva is a he and sometimes
he has 6 arms. Hinduism, there is a lot I have to learn.
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| East Gopura Opens Onto a 67 Meter Causeway Leading to the Inner Walls |
When we stepped
out of the hotel there was no tuk-tuk. So Ana called Mr. Touch #2 who said he would
be there in 20 minutes.
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| Carvings Over the Gate |
The agreed price
for this 37 km trip (one way), waiting for us to see the temple and then 37 km
back would be $23 dollars.
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| 67 Meter Causeway With Some of the 32 Boundary Stones (Foreground) |
We gave him $
30 because he suggested several stops on the way back so our tour became 5
hours instead of the anticipated 3 hours.
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| Next Gate |
This temple we visited
was much smaller but way more understandable than Angkor Wat. Of course this temple
was, over time, destroyed like all the others, but it is still very detailed
and the carvings everywhere are fairly clear and visible.
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| Finally Entering the Temple - Along With a Tour Group |
Amazing that
this temple is one of the oldest, built in 967 AD
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| More Stunning Stone Carvings |
And it was not
a King who built it, but a teacher of the young, future King Jayavarman V.
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| Door Frames |
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| Amazing Carvings Over Every Doorway |
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| 2 Central Figures Show the Battle Between 2 Clans |
But later in
the Empire, this temple was ruled by other kings. The temple was even given to
a high Priest with a long name: Divākarapaṇḍita
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| Inner Courtyard of the Temple - Almost Every Square Inch of Sandstone Is Carved |
I just love
history, especially the long names.
This ‘jewel’
temple, in the chain of many temples of the Angkor period of the Khmer Empire,
was worth a trip way out of Siem Reap. We had a good day especially when we
could enjoy the walk through the ruins. There was not much bending, ducking and
watching your footing. It was a great place to visit.
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