Banteay Srei
"The women's citadel"
Date : 2nd half of the 10th century (967)
King :Yajnavaraha under the reign of Rajendravarman II and Jayavarman V
Cult: Brahmanic (Shivaïte)
Clearing: H. Parmentier and V. Goloubew in 1924 with anastylosis by H. Marchal from 1931 to 1936.
Banteay Srei is the most beautiful temple of Cambodia constructed with pink sandstone which has much better quality than gray sandstone used to build Angkor Wat, Bayon, Taprom and other temples. Pink sandstone is veryhardthat makes the carving of Banteay Srei still very exquisite although it’s more than 1000 years old. Banteay Srei temple is considered as a jewel of art of Khmer civilization. Most visitors feel in deep appreciation with its special workmanship.
King Rajendravarman II died one year after he had started to build this beautiful temple. Then king Jayavarman V, who was his 15 year old son too young to complete his father’s project, so Yajnavaraha and his younger brother who were king’s teachers played a great role to manage this temple construction.
Name:The intact inscription tells us that, Isvarapura, which means the home of god Shiva,was the original name of this temple. The local people renamed this temple as Banteay Srei which means a ‘Women Temple’because Cambodian culture praises women than men and this temple also has fine carvings as women beauty.
The miniature temple of Banteay Srei is located twenty kilometres north-east of the Bayon as the crow flies, not far from the right bank of the Stung Siem Reap, the river that descends from the Phnom Kulen to flow into the Tonle Sap. Situated in the middle of the forest, small in scale and in a region lacking in archaeological remains, one can understand why it escaped general attention for so long - its discovery by lieutenant Marec, an officer in the geographic service, was in fact only made in 1914. It was not cleared until 1924, following the theft and ensuing scandal the previous year of some important stones. These were eventually recovered and restored to their original positions during the course of restoration work.
The total success of the anastylosis, undertaken by Mr Marchal, caused the general adoption of this technique for the restoration of the monuments by our archaeological service, directly inspired by methods used by archaeologists in Java - and although the task at Banteay Srei was eased by the diminutive volume of the buildings, by the small blocks of stone cut from a durable sandstone which retained its sharp profiles and by the abundance of a remarkably well preserved and clearly visible decoration, the achievement of Mr Marchal is no less impressive since he was obliged to employ his skill on a particularly distant site with difficult access and with minimal means - and with an unskilled and inexperienced work force who had first to be trained from scratch.
Negotiations by Japan in 1941 ended the hostilities between Thailand and France, ensuring that Banteay Srei would be left to Cambodia - even though situated to the north of the 15th degree that marked the new frontier - by the creation of a triangular enclave which was effectively in part of Thailand. This provisional solution was unconditionally reversed by Thailand's restitution at the end of 1946.
The track to Banteay Srei, though sandy in places, is always passable by car, except for three or four weeks from September to October when the rains are particularly heavy. It leaves the Grand Circuit between Pre Rup and the eastern Mebon to head east through the delightful village of Pradak, where it forks to the north, at two kilometres from the point of its departure, to skirt, after another ten kilometres, the village of Khna - where those with a taste for coconut milk will be able to refresh themselves on their return. After six more kilometres it leads to a parking area. Walking from the river, which here cuts deep and is cleared by a foot bridge, one finally gains, by the road straight ahead and at the first fork, the eastern entrance to the temple - after some 500 metres.(33)
Given the very particular charm of Banteay Srei - its remarkable state of preservation and the excellence of a near perfect ornamental technique - one should not hesitate, of all the monuments of the Angkor group, to give it the highest priority. Although, in our opinion, there is no gain in trying to classify the quite different monuments of Angkor Wat, Banteay Srei or the Bayon in order of merit - nevertheless, Banteay Srei is by popular consensus a "precious gem", the "jewel of Khmer art". This commendation, however, also carries with it the only justifiable criticism - which is that the work relates more closely to the art of the goldsmith or to carving in wood than to sculpture in stone. The very nature of the material used - a hard red sandstone that can be worked like wood - has inspired the artist not to carve in volume, but rather, in the reduced scale of the composition and the proximity of the buildings - whose bare walls have disappeared under a dense overall decoration - to have made the temple itself like a half scale model, to the detriment of any architectural theme or monumental character.
The proportions of Banteay Srei remain unexplained and always amaze - it is a sort of "caprice", where the exquisite and abundant detail is more impressive than the mass. And while it is generally true that the outlying sanctuaries never attain the grandeur of the capital temples, and that the Khmer, used to seeing the Meru in a pyramid, the ocean in a moat and chains of mountains in the retaining walls, readily accepted small things for large - here, nevertheless, all the usual devices are distorted, with gopuras the usual thickness of a large wall and minuscule openings where the priest could not enter but by crawling.
This anomaly is particularly marked in the sacred enclosure, contributing at one time, following the erroneous interpretation of certain epigraphic data, to the assignment to the buildings of a later date - it was thought that the three sanctuary towers were not constructed until nearly the year 1300 in replacement of a single sanctuary of the normal grandeur - of the 10th century as the other enclosures - which occupied the same space.
It is now known, with the discovery in 1936 in the eastern Gopura of the fourth enclosure of the temple's foundation stele, that Banteay Srei formed a whole, whose style proves quite homogenous. Inscribed in 968, the first year of the reign of Jayavarman V, the inscription gives, with the position of the sun, the moon and the planets, the date of April-May 967 - the last year of Rajendravarman's reign, under whom at least some of the construction was probably started. After the invocation of Shiva and of his "Sakti", the text contains an eulogy of Jayavarman V and of his "Guru", Yajnavaraha, who founded Banteay Srei with his younger brother, erecting the linga of Shiva Shri Tribhuvanamahesvara in the central sanctuary. Other inscriptions engraved on the jambs of door openings mention the placing of another linga in the southern sanctuary, and of a statue of Vishnou in the northern.
DESCRIPTION
The temple is presented to the east with a cruciform laterite gopura. This is flanked by two small side doors and probably corresponded to an external enclosure (fourth enclosure) formed as a timber palisade. The eastern door, with its sandstone pillars, the fine ornament of its pilasters and the fronton of Indra on a three headed elephant, give a taste of the internal decoration to come - and of the beautiful rose tint of the stone. The location of the beams which carried the tiled roof still remains visible in the masonry.
A processional way bordered with decorative bornes - that were toppled conscientiously every year by the wild elephants - leads to the third enclosure. Lining either side are galleries, with foundation walls in laterite and pillars in sandstone. These are divided towards their middle by small buildings, like gopuras, which lead, to the south, to three long rooms orientated in parallel north-south, and to the north to a single-roomed building. Here one should notice the superb fronton where Vishnou in the form of the god-lion (Narasimha) is holding Hiranya-Kasipu - the king of the Asuras who has dared to challenge him - upside-down below him while cleaving his chest with his claws. On the ground near the entrance is a long stone representing seven feminine divinities, facing forward on their mounts - then, to the side, a Ganesha and an unidentified figure. The remains of two other buildings can be seen before arriving at the third enclosure, near to which, on the north side, the fronton of the eastern door of the third gopura east has been reconstructed on the ground. It shows, mounted in a decoration of foliated scrolls with animals and small figures, the abduction of Sita - the wife of Rama - by the Yeak Viradha.
The temple as such is composed of three enclosures defined by simple walls that measure respectively 95m.00 by 110m.00 - 38m.00 by 42m.00 - and 24m.00 by 24m.00.
The third enclosure from the centre is formed by a moat surrounded by laterite steps, with a border to both sides, divided to the east and west by a causeway that leads to the two gopuras. The wall is in laterite and the eastern gopura, whose plan is the same as that of the fourth gopura east, dominates the western. Preceded by small lions, it has a superb accolade formed base step, a pedestal and three passageways. The fronton of its west portico was not replaced but sent instead to the Musée Guimet in Paris. It shows the "story of the apsara Tilottama, created by the gods in order to cause discord between the two brothers, Sunda and Upasunda - formidable asuras who wrought havoc in the universe. The sculptor has reproduced the moment where the two, each seizing the apsara by a hand, are in dispute over her possession". (G. Cœdes). This scene, taken from the Mahabharata, is very simple in composition but perfectly balanced - with the clear background between the figures further enhancing the modelling.
The second enclosure is also surrounded with a laterite wall and intersected by two gopuras of differing size. Offset towards the west with respect to the third, it contains six building annexes in laterite - the tiled coverings of which have naturally disappeared. These are rest galleries divided into three sections The two longest are to the north and south, while the others flank each of the gopuras. The east gopura, again cruciform in plan with three passageways, has each of its double-pillared porticoes set with superb superposed triangular frontons which follow the slope of the roof, recalling architecture in timber. Their bordered frames in large terminal volutes are crowned with deeply cut motifs of a refined elegance which, like their tympanums, are purely ornamental in decoration. Frontons treated in similar spirit are to be found at Koh Ker (10th century) and Preah Vihear (11th century), in the northern part of Cambodia - conceded in 1941 to Thailand and regained at the end of 1946. A small Nandin, the mount of Shiva, lies facing the temple to the west of the gopura.
The buildings of the first enclosure have undergone complete anastylosis, restored in every detail to their original condition. The integrity of the decor - even in its excess - is further enhanced by the numerous antefixes and corner stones in the form of the prasat which, on the sanctuary towers, line the cornices of the four upper tiers. Crowned with a "Kalasa", or a symbolic water jar, these are particularly slender in proportion - they seem to shimmer in the light, and bring to mind the dense complexity of Hindu art. This is no longer the monotonous "uniform density" inherent in the architectural method of the Khmer. However, nowhere is there chaos - the profiles are as sharp as the lines are everywhere decorous - nor any lack of style.
The enclosure wall is in brick, as is its western gopura. This has a central room forming a sanctuary flanked by two passageways. The eastern gopura, all in sandstone and with a single passage, is so narrow that a man can barely squeeze into its wings.
On either side, two "libraries" open to the west and have their long façades in plain laterite and sandstone under a corbelled brick vault. Opposite is the central group, presented on a single 0m.90 high platform in a simple T form. Three towers are aligned to the front in an arrangement reminiscent of Prah Ko, Phnom Krom and Phnom Bok. The two lateral towers are 8m.34 in height while the central is 9m.80. The sanctuary chambers are 1m.70 and 1.90 metres each side respectively. By a kind of anticipation - in accordance with an arrangement which one will often find in the 12th century - the central sanctuary is preceded to the east by a long room, or more exactly here by a square chamber with lateral doors between a portico and a junction vestibule. All are roofed in corbelled brickwork like the "libraries", and the interior is as bare as the exterior is ornate.
Banteay Srei, apart from its diminutive form, has also the particularity that it is both a reflection of the past - but not to the point of regression - and an advance to the future in its innovation. Through refinement it takes the best of all that had preceded - its affinity with the art of Roluos is clear - and submits it to new creation in a dynamic form of high art.
The arrangement of the plan - the stacking of superimposed frontons and the variety of the terminal motifs of their framing curves, - the appearance of bas-reliefs with scenes on the tympanums which until then were reserved for the representation of isolated figures, most often in hieratic poses, - the wall tapestry with squares and motifs with foliated scrolls, - the multiplication of heads of Kala, treated in purely decorative fashion, - the replacement of lions on the stair-walls by human figures with heads of monsters; - all of these are the mark of a general reconsideration, the majority of whose elements will be found time and again during the classical period, though often treated with considerably less skill.
The enchanting decoration requires detailed study. Besides the moulding of the profiles, the false doors, the frames of the frontons and the bands of foliated scrolls - which indicate a veritable "renaissance" several centuries before the Renaissance in Europe - we would also generally draw the visitor's attention to the following:-
The northern shrine: This shrine was used to pray by Brahmins, twice a month, during full moon and new moon times. Today, this building has only some sandstone pillars, and laterite wall, since its wooden roof has gone.
Pediment: Its pediment has beautiful carvings, about a famous Hindu myth where Narashimha was killing a demon called Hiranyakashipu by tearing his chest. Narashimha was a half human and a half lion and he was Vishnu’s fourth reincarnation, who came to kill a demon king called Hiranyakashipu.This legend began when Hirayasa who was Hiranyakashipu’s older brother, tried to kill Phumidevi, the god of earth, by sinking the earth into the ocean. Vishnu appeared and took a form as a Boar called Vihara to help the god of earth and killed Hiranyasa. Hiranyakashipu promised to take a revenge on Vishnu for his brother. Then he went to Mt, Mandara to upgrade his power by standing with only one leg for 3000 years. After doing meditation for 3000 years, he became the strongest. Brahma appeared to ask him to stop his meditating because it made too strong power and shook the three worlds. Brahma blessed Hiranyakashipu immortal life. He would not die in the day or at night, not die outdoor or indoor, would not be killed by man or by the beast, and would not be killed by weapons such as sword, disc or trident. after he had been blessed by Brahma, Hiranyakashipu conquered the three worlds and occupied as a tyrant. Vishnu was smart. He appeared in a form of a man with lion head at down and he used lion claws to kill the demon at the door frame. A bad demon king was killed finally.
Lion with elephant trunk: at the end of this pediment, there’s also a lion carving with elephant trunk coming out from Makara’s mouth.
The southern shrine: The northern shrine which was used with the same to purpose to the one we have just seen.
Pediment: its pediment has Shiva’s figure with his wife, Pavati, ridding on a bull called Nandin. This Hindu legend began when Shiva first met his wife. One day when Shiva was meditating on Kailasa Mountain, he saw Pavati was falling down from the heaven. Suddenly, Shiva used only one hair string to save her life. Both of them fell in love and then Shiva married her as one of his nine wives.
Kala head: below the bull, there’s Kala head again,
Garudas and Nagas: at the end of the pediment, there’re figures of Garudas and Nagas appearing from Makara’s mouth.
Second enclosing: the second enclosing wall of this temple measures 110m by 90m.
Moat: there’s amoat running along the wall surrounding the main shrine.
Plan: the ancient Khmer temples had similar plan. For example, each temple has the entrance, a causeway, a moat surrounding the temple complex so on. However, of course, the special style of each temple is completely different.
Previous condition: when Banteay Srei was discovered, most of its structures had completely collapsed and overgrown by trees. A French soldier who worked in the geography department of the French colony discovered Banteay Srei temple in 1914 when he explored into the jungle of Angkor Archeological Park. Ten years later, after they had known its location, Mr Henri Marchal, a French architect in the Angkor Conservation Department, was sent to study Anastylosist system from Dutch architects who were restoring Borobudur temple in Indonesia. Anastylosis is a Greek word and a restoration method without using new material and without new carvings.When Mr. Henri Machal and his teams were working here, they were often attacked by Khmer Isarak who struggled to fight against the French colonialism. Luckily, they restored Banteay Srei successfully, after they’d spent 10 years of the project. Unfortunately, the war from the 1970s to the 1980s damaged this temple structure again. Then it was restored again by a Swiss team.
The second entrance: There’re inscriptions on its door frames which were written by a Hindu priest, Yajnavaraha. These inscriptions tell us the date of the temple building, the king and his religion, ritual ceremonies with the sacred flame, holy water for the people in the whole kingdom, and also about Shiva’Linga and his wife’s Yoni. In the center of this structure, there’s a sandstone Yoni which still stands in the original spot, but Shiva’s Linga on the top has gone.
The Third entance: This structure was designed with double doors. Its towers have a unique style that we haven’t seen in Angkor Wat, Bayon and other temples at all. At the end of the pediment, there’re beautiful spiral carvings like conch shell. On the top, there’s a carving in a form diamond with flame. Unfortunately, the carving in a form diamond with flame of the first gate was stolen in 1993. The lintel of the inner tower has carving about Laksmei. She was a Goddess of Beauty, good fortune, and also a chief divine dancer. She was being blessed with holy water by two white elephants in the cleaning ceremony before she was transferred by Garuda to get married with Vishnu, after she had just emerged from the sea of milk.
Central area: There’re rectangular buildings, built of laterite, surrounding the central shrine. There’s a Bull statue kneeling and facing to the central shrine.
In the front of this Bull statue, there’s the fourth entrance structure. Its lintel hascarvings about Shiva’s dancing. Shiva danced to bring good luck to the universe, especially to rotate the world, so that he could be able to control the fates of all creatures of the universe. Shiva would destroy every bad fate happening to any creature, and then he ordered the new and good prosperous fate to happen. There’re two libraries which are still standing which were built of laterite, pink sandstone, wood and brick. These libraries have blind doors to the east while the real doors are facing west opposite the temple shrines which are facing east.
Northern library:The northern library has delicate carvings about Mahabarata which is a famous Hindu myth. On the top of the pediment, there’s a figure of Indra who was a god of Rain and a king of heaven, ridding on a three headed elephant Aravata. This legend began when Angi who was the god of fire, fired the Khandava forest for his starvation and to upgrade his power. Indra was sending rainwater down to the earth to put out a fire. Agni was very angry with Indra who was putting out his fire.He asked two heroes, Krisna and Arjuna, who were walking through the forest to help him to stop Indra’s rainwater. We could see a lot of wild animals who were scared and running away as well as the birds.On the right, Krisna who had four arms and who was Vishnu’s eighth reincarnation was standing on a chariot, carrying a disc as weapon. Ajuna was also standing on another chariot on the left, carrying a crossbow. Both of them agreed to help Agni and then Ajuna used his crossbow to shoot rainwater of Indra while Krisna used his disc to clear the sky for Agni to burn the forest. Even only drop of the rainwater could not fall down to the earth at all.Indra gave up and the fire ate the whole forest.
The west pediment of north library: the west pediment of the north library also has carvings about Mahabaratta. It’s a short scenewhere Krisna who was a hero of the story was killing Kamsa, his uncle, to take a revenge for his parents. Krisna was capturing his uncle in a room. Dozens of Kamsa’s wives were being shocked, then Krisna through the death body of Kamasa down stair.we could see his concubines weeping and mourning.
"The women's citadel"
Date : 2nd half of the 10th century (967)
King :Yajnavaraha under the reign of Rajendravarman II and Jayavarman V
Cult: Brahmanic (Shivaïte)
Clearing: H. Parmentier and V. Goloubew in 1924 with anastylosis by H. Marchal from 1931 to 1936.
Banteay Srei is the most beautiful temple of Cambodia constructed with pink sandstone which has much better quality than gray sandstone used to build Angkor Wat, Bayon, Taprom and other temples. Pink sandstone is veryhardthat makes the carving of Banteay Srei still very exquisite although it’s more than 1000 years old. Banteay Srei temple is considered as a jewel of art of Khmer civilization. Most visitors feel in deep appreciation with its special workmanship.
King Rajendravarman II died one year after he had started to build this beautiful temple. Then king Jayavarman V, who was his 15 year old son too young to complete his father’s project, so Yajnavaraha and his younger brother who were king’s teachers played a great role to manage this temple construction.
Name:The intact inscription tells us that, Isvarapura, which means the home of god Shiva,was the original name of this temple. The local people renamed this temple as Banteay Srei which means a ‘Women Temple’because Cambodian culture praises women than men and this temple also has fine carvings as women beauty.
The total success of the anastylosis, undertaken by Mr Marchal, caused the general adoption of this technique for the restoration of the monuments by our archaeological service, directly inspired by methods used by archaeologists in Java - and although the task at Banteay Srei was eased by the diminutive volume of the buildings, by the small blocks of stone cut from a durable sandstone which retained its sharp profiles and by the abundance of a remarkably well preserved and clearly visible decoration, the achievement of Mr Marchal is no less impressive since he was obliged to employ his skill on a particularly distant site with difficult access and with minimal means - and with an unskilled and inexperienced work force who had first to be trained from scratch.
Negotiations by Japan in 1941 ended the hostilities between Thailand and France, ensuring that Banteay Srei would be left to Cambodia - even though situated to the north of the 15th degree that marked the new frontier - by the creation of a triangular enclave which was effectively in part of Thailand. This provisional solution was unconditionally reversed by Thailand's restitution at the end of 1946.
The track to Banteay Srei, though sandy in places, is always passable by car, except for three or four weeks from September to October when the rains are particularly heavy. It leaves the Grand Circuit between Pre Rup and the eastern Mebon to head east through the delightful village of Pradak, where it forks to the north, at two kilometres from the point of its departure, to skirt, after another ten kilometres, the village of Khna - where those with a taste for coconut milk will be able to refresh themselves on their return. After six more kilometres it leads to a parking area. Walking from the river, which here cuts deep and is cleared by a foot bridge, one finally gains, by the road straight ahead and at the first fork, the eastern entrance to the temple - after some 500 metres.(33)
Given the very particular charm of Banteay Srei - its remarkable state of preservation and the excellence of a near perfect ornamental technique - one should not hesitate, of all the monuments of the Angkor group, to give it the highest priority. Although, in our opinion, there is no gain in trying to classify the quite different monuments of Angkor Wat, Banteay Srei or the Bayon in order of merit - nevertheless, Banteay Srei is by popular consensus a "precious gem", the "jewel of Khmer art". This commendation, however, also carries with it the only justifiable criticism - which is that the work relates more closely to the art of the goldsmith or to carving in wood than to sculpture in stone. The very nature of the material used - a hard red sandstone that can be worked like wood - has inspired the artist not to carve in volume, but rather, in the reduced scale of the composition and the proximity of the buildings - whose bare walls have disappeared under a dense overall decoration - to have made the temple itself like a half scale model, to the detriment of any architectural theme or monumental character.
The proportions of Banteay Srei remain unexplained and always amaze - it is a sort of "caprice", where the exquisite and abundant detail is more impressive than the mass. And while it is generally true that the outlying sanctuaries never attain the grandeur of the capital temples, and that the Khmer, used to seeing the Meru in a pyramid, the ocean in a moat and chains of mountains in the retaining walls, readily accepted small things for large - here, nevertheless, all the usual devices are distorted, with gopuras the usual thickness of a large wall and minuscule openings where the priest could not enter but by crawling.
This anomaly is particularly marked in the sacred enclosure, contributing at one time, following the erroneous interpretation of certain epigraphic data, to the assignment to the buildings of a later date - it was thought that the three sanctuary towers were not constructed until nearly the year 1300 in replacement of a single sanctuary of the normal grandeur - of the 10th century as the other enclosures - which occupied the same space.
It is now known, with the discovery in 1936 in the eastern Gopura of the fourth enclosure of the temple's foundation stele, that Banteay Srei formed a whole, whose style proves quite homogenous. Inscribed in 968, the first year of the reign of Jayavarman V, the inscription gives, with the position of the sun, the moon and the planets, the date of April-May 967 - the last year of Rajendravarman's reign, under whom at least some of the construction was probably started. After the invocation of Shiva and of his "Sakti", the text contains an eulogy of Jayavarman V and of his "Guru", Yajnavaraha, who founded Banteay Srei with his younger brother, erecting the linga of Shiva Shri Tribhuvanamahesvara in the central sanctuary. Other inscriptions engraved on the jambs of door openings mention the placing of another linga in the southern sanctuary, and of a statue of Vishnou in the northern.
DESCRIPTION
The temple is presented to the east with a cruciform laterite gopura. This is flanked by two small side doors and probably corresponded to an external enclosure (fourth enclosure) formed as a timber palisade. The eastern door, with its sandstone pillars, the fine ornament of its pilasters and the fronton of Indra on a three headed elephant, give a taste of the internal decoration to come - and of the beautiful rose tint of the stone. The location of the beams which carried the tiled roof still remains visible in the masonry.
A processional way bordered with decorative bornes - that were toppled conscientiously every year by the wild elephants - leads to the third enclosure. Lining either side are galleries, with foundation walls in laterite and pillars in sandstone. These are divided towards their middle by small buildings, like gopuras, which lead, to the south, to three long rooms orientated in parallel north-south, and to the north to a single-roomed building. Here one should notice the superb fronton where Vishnou in the form of the god-lion (Narasimha) is holding Hiranya-Kasipu - the king of the Asuras who has dared to challenge him - upside-down below him while cleaving his chest with his claws. On the ground near the entrance is a long stone representing seven feminine divinities, facing forward on their mounts - then, to the side, a Ganesha and an unidentified figure. The remains of two other buildings can be seen before arriving at the third enclosure, near to which, on the north side, the fronton of the eastern door of the third gopura east has been reconstructed on the ground. It shows, mounted in a decoration of foliated scrolls with animals and small figures, the abduction of Sita - the wife of Rama - by the Yeak Viradha.
The temple as such is composed of three enclosures defined by simple walls that measure respectively 95m.00 by 110m.00 - 38m.00 by 42m.00 - and 24m.00 by 24m.00.
The third enclosure from the centre is formed by a moat surrounded by laterite steps, with a border to both sides, divided to the east and west by a causeway that leads to the two gopuras. The wall is in laterite and the eastern gopura, whose plan is the same as that of the fourth gopura east, dominates the western. Preceded by small lions, it has a superb accolade formed base step, a pedestal and three passageways. The fronton of its west portico was not replaced but sent instead to the Musée Guimet in Paris. It shows the "story of the apsara Tilottama, created by the gods in order to cause discord between the two brothers, Sunda and Upasunda - formidable asuras who wrought havoc in the universe. The sculptor has reproduced the moment where the two, each seizing the apsara by a hand, are in dispute over her possession". (G. Cœdes). This scene, taken from the Mahabharata, is very simple in composition but perfectly balanced - with the clear background between the figures further enhancing the modelling.
The second enclosure is also surrounded with a laterite wall and intersected by two gopuras of differing size. Offset towards the west with respect to the third, it contains six building annexes in laterite - the tiled coverings of which have naturally disappeared. These are rest galleries divided into three sections The two longest are to the north and south, while the others flank each of the gopuras. The east gopura, again cruciform in plan with three passageways, has each of its double-pillared porticoes set with superb superposed triangular frontons which follow the slope of the roof, recalling architecture in timber. Their bordered frames in large terminal volutes are crowned with deeply cut motifs of a refined elegance which, like their tympanums, are purely ornamental in decoration. Frontons treated in similar spirit are to be found at Koh Ker (10th century) and Preah Vihear (11th century), in the northern part of Cambodia - conceded in 1941 to Thailand and regained at the end of 1946. A small Nandin, the mount of Shiva, lies facing the temple to the west of the gopura.
The buildings of the first enclosure have undergone complete anastylosis, restored in every detail to their original condition. The integrity of the decor - even in its excess - is further enhanced by the numerous antefixes and corner stones in the form of the prasat which, on the sanctuary towers, line the cornices of the four upper tiers. Crowned with a "Kalasa", or a symbolic water jar, these are particularly slender in proportion - they seem to shimmer in the light, and bring to mind the dense complexity of Hindu art. This is no longer the monotonous "uniform density" inherent in the architectural method of the Khmer. However, nowhere is there chaos - the profiles are as sharp as the lines are everywhere decorous - nor any lack of style.
The enclosure wall is in brick, as is its western gopura. This has a central room forming a sanctuary flanked by two passageways. The eastern gopura, all in sandstone and with a single passage, is so narrow that a man can barely squeeze into its wings.
On either side, two "libraries" open to the west and have their long façades in plain laterite and sandstone under a corbelled brick vault. Opposite is the central group, presented on a single 0m.90 high platform in a simple T form. Three towers are aligned to the front in an arrangement reminiscent of Prah Ko, Phnom Krom and Phnom Bok. The two lateral towers are 8m.34 in height while the central is 9m.80. The sanctuary chambers are 1m.70 and 1.90 metres each side respectively. By a kind of anticipation - in accordance with an arrangement which one will often find in the 12th century - the central sanctuary is preceded to the east by a long room, or more exactly here by a square chamber with lateral doors between a portico and a junction vestibule. All are roofed in corbelled brickwork like the "libraries", and the interior is as bare as the exterior is ornate.
Banteay Srei, apart from its diminutive form, has also the particularity that it is both a reflection of the past - but not to the point of regression - and an advance to the future in its innovation. Through refinement it takes the best of all that had preceded - its affinity with the art of Roluos is clear - and submits it to new creation in a dynamic form of high art.
The arrangement of the plan - the stacking of superimposed frontons and the variety of the terminal motifs of their framing curves, - the appearance of bas-reliefs with scenes on the tympanums which until then were reserved for the representation of isolated figures, most often in hieratic poses, - the wall tapestry with squares and motifs with foliated scrolls, - the multiplication of heads of Kala, treated in purely decorative fashion, - the replacement of lions on the stair-walls by human figures with heads of monsters; - all of these are the mark of a general reconsideration, the majority of whose elements will be found time and again during the classical period, though often treated with considerably less skill.
The enchanting decoration requires detailed study. Besides the moulding of the profiles, the false doors, the frames of the frontons and the bands of foliated scrolls - which indicate a veritable "renaissance" several centuries before the Renaissance in Europe - we would also generally draw the visitor's attention to the following:-
The northern shrine: This shrine was used to pray by Brahmins, twice a month, during full moon and new moon times. Today, this building has only some sandstone pillars, and laterite wall, since its wooden roof has gone.
Pediment: Its pediment has beautiful carvings, about a famous Hindu myth where Narashimha was killing a demon called Hiranyakashipu by tearing his chest. Narashimha was a half human and a half lion and he was Vishnu’s fourth reincarnation, who came to kill a demon king called Hiranyakashipu.This legend began when Hirayasa who was Hiranyakashipu’s older brother, tried to kill Phumidevi, the god of earth, by sinking the earth into the ocean. Vishnu appeared and took a form as a Boar called Vihara to help the god of earth and killed Hiranyasa. Hiranyakashipu promised to take a revenge on Vishnu for his brother. Then he went to Mt, Mandara to upgrade his power by standing with only one leg for 3000 years. After doing meditation for 3000 years, he became the strongest. Brahma appeared to ask him to stop his meditating because it made too strong power and shook the three worlds. Brahma blessed Hiranyakashipu immortal life. He would not die in the day or at night, not die outdoor or indoor, would not be killed by man or by the beast, and would not be killed by weapons such as sword, disc or trident. after he had been blessed by Brahma, Hiranyakashipu conquered the three worlds and occupied as a tyrant. Vishnu was smart. He appeared in a form of a man with lion head at down and he used lion claws to kill the demon at the door frame. A bad demon king was killed finally.
Lion with elephant trunk: at the end of this pediment, there’s also a lion carving with elephant trunk coming out from Makara’s mouth.
The southern shrine: The northern shrine which was used with the same to purpose to the one we have just seen.
Pediment: its pediment has Shiva’s figure with his wife, Pavati, ridding on a bull called Nandin. This Hindu legend began when Shiva first met his wife. One day when Shiva was meditating on Kailasa Mountain, he saw Pavati was falling down from the heaven. Suddenly, Shiva used only one hair string to save her life. Both of them fell in love and then Shiva married her as one of his nine wives.
Kala head: below the bull, there’s Kala head again,
Garudas and Nagas: at the end of the pediment, there’re figures of Garudas and Nagas appearing from Makara’s mouth.
Second enclosing: the second enclosing wall of this temple measures 110m by 90m.
Moat: there’s amoat running along the wall surrounding the main shrine.
Plan: the ancient Khmer temples had similar plan. For example, each temple has the entrance, a causeway, a moat surrounding the temple complex so on. However, of course, the special style of each temple is completely different.
Previous condition: when Banteay Srei was discovered, most of its structures had completely collapsed and overgrown by trees. A French soldier who worked in the geography department of the French colony discovered Banteay Srei temple in 1914 when he explored into the jungle of Angkor Archeological Park. Ten years later, after they had known its location, Mr Henri Marchal, a French architect in the Angkor Conservation Department, was sent to study Anastylosist system from Dutch architects who were restoring Borobudur temple in Indonesia. Anastylosis is a Greek word and a restoration method without using new material and without new carvings.When Mr. Henri Machal and his teams were working here, they were often attacked by Khmer Isarak who struggled to fight against the French colonialism. Luckily, they restored Banteay Srei successfully, after they’d spent 10 years of the project. Unfortunately, the war from the 1970s to the 1980s damaged this temple structure again. Then it was restored again by a Swiss team.
The second entrance: There’re inscriptions on its door frames which were written by a Hindu priest, Yajnavaraha. These inscriptions tell us the date of the temple building, the king and his religion, ritual ceremonies with the sacred flame, holy water for the people in the whole kingdom, and also about Shiva’Linga and his wife’s Yoni. In the center of this structure, there’s a sandstone Yoni which still stands in the original spot, but Shiva’s Linga on the top has gone.
The Third entance: This structure was designed with double doors. Its towers have a unique style that we haven’t seen in Angkor Wat, Bayon and other temples at all. At the end of the pediment, there’re beautiful spiral carvings like conch shell. On the top, there’s a carving in a form diamond with flame. Unfortunately, the carving in a form diamond with flame of the first gate was stolen in 1993. The lintel of the inner tower has carving about Laksmei. She was a Goddess of Beauty, good fortune, and also a chief divine dancer. She was being blessed with holy water by two white elephants in the cleaning ceremony before she was transferred by Garuda to get married with Vishnu, after she had just emerged from the sea of milk.
Central area: There’re rectangular buildings, built of laterite, surrounding the central shrine. There’s a Bull statue kneeling and facing to the central shrine.
In the front of this Bull statue, there’s the fourth entrance structure. Its lintel hascarvings about Shiva’s dancing. Shiva danced to bring good luck to the universe, especially to rotate the world, so that he could be able to control the fates of all creatures of the universe. Shiva would destroy every bad fate happening to any creature, and then he ordered the new and good prosperous fate to happen. There’re two libraries which are still standing which were built of laterite, pink sandstone, wood and brick. These libraries have blind doors to the east while the real doors are facing west opposite the temple shrines which are facing east.
Northern library:The northern library has delicate carvings about Mahabarata which is a famous Hindu myth. On the top of the pediment, there’s a figure of Indra who was a god of Rain and a king of heaven, ridding on a three headed elephant Aravata. This legend began when Angi who was the god of fire, fired the Khandava forest for his starvation and to upgrade his power. Indra was sending rainwater down to the earth to put out a fire. Agni was very angry with Indra who was putting out his fire.He asked two heroes, Krisna and Arjuna, who were walking through the forest to help him to stop Indra’s rainwater. We could see a lot of wild animals who were scared and running away as well as the birds.On the right, Krisna who had four arms and who was Vishnu’s eighth reincarnation was standing on a chariot, carrying a disc as weapon. Ajuna was also standing on another chariot on the left, carrying a crossbow. Both of them agreed to help Agni and then Ajuna used his crossbow to shoot rainwater of Indra while Krisna used his disc to clear the sky for Agni to burn the forest. Even only drop of the rainwater could not fall down to the earth at all.Indra gave up and the fire ate the whole forest.
The west pediment of north library: the west pediment of the north library also has carvings about Mahabaratta. It’s a short scenewhere Krisna who was a hero of the story was killing Kamsa, his uncle, to take a revenge for his parents. Krisna was capturing his uncle in a room. Dozens of Kamsa’s wives were being shocked, then Krisna through the death body of Kamasa down stair.we could see his concubines weeping and mourning.
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