Banteay Srei
This is the entry gate or first gopura at Banteay Srei, a temple about 20 kilometres north of Angkor and almost at the foot of the Kulen Mountains. It's worth the visit to see the exquisitely carved pink sandstone and the marvelously detailed lintels and carvings. Consecrated on 22 April 967, the temple's modern name means 'Citadel of Women' or "Citadel of Beauty' although its actual name Tribhuvanamahesvara means 'Great Lord of the Threefold World'. It was built by Yajnavaraha, one of King Rajendravarman's counselors and the guru of future king Jayavarman V.
The temple was discovered by the French in 1914 and made famous when Andre Malraux, De Gaulle's Minister of Culture, removed four apsaras in 1923 before being caught. The apsaras were returned soon after.
The pediment shows Indra atop Airavata, his three-headed elephant mount. Indra was king of the gods, but after he killed the brahmin Vritra he was dethroned. He became lord of the air, the weather, and the thunderstorms.
Banteay Srei
This is the entry gate or first gopura at Banteay Srei, a temple about 20 kilometres north of Angkor and almost at the foot of the Kulen Mountains. It's worth the visit to see the exquisitely carved pink sandstone and the marvelously detailed lintels and carvings. Consecrated on 22 April 967, the temple's modern name means 'Citadel of Women' or "Citadel of Beauty' although its actual name Tribhuvanamahesvara means 'Great Lord of the Threefold World'. It was built by Yajnavaraha, one of King Rajendravarman's counselors and the guru of future king Jayavarman V.
The temple was discovered by the French in 1914 and made famous when Andre Malraux, De Gaulle's Minister of Culture, removed four apsaras in 1923 before being caught. The apsaras were returned soon after.
The pediment shows Indra atop Airavata, his three-headed elephant mount. Indra was king of the gods, but after he killed the brahmin Vritra he was dethroned. He became lord of the air, the weather, and the thunderstorms.