Banteay Srei

Like most Khmer temples, Banteay Srei is oriented towards the east.. The inner enclosure contains the sanctuary, consisting of an entrance chamber and three towers, as well as two buildings conventionally referred to as libraries, which now are blocked and inaccessible.

Consecrated in 967,  Banteay Srei(meaning citadel of the women, or citadel of beauty) was the only major temple at Angkor not built by a monarch; its construction is credited to a courtier named Yajnyavahara, who served as a counsellor to the then current king. The foundation records say that Yajnyavahara was a scholar and philanthropist who helped those who suffered from illness, injustice, or poverty. The temple was primarily dedicated to Shiva: the buildings south of the central east-west axis were and the central tower were devoted to Shiva, while the northern buildings were dedicated to Vishnu.

It remained in use at least until the fourteenth century

The temple was rediscovered only in 1914 and in 1923 was subject to an artefact theft by André Malraux who was arrested and the figures returned. The theft caused interest in the site and work began on clearing the area and protecting the temple and its intricate carvings, which are amonst the oldest and best in Cambodia.

Work is still ongoing to protect the site from further damage; in 2003 a joint Cambodian-Swiss conservation project saw a new drainage system being put into place to protect against erosion. But unforunatly the temple is still at risk form theft and vandalism and therefore at the end of the 20^th century some of the original statues were replaced with replicas to deter looters.