Banteay Samré ( km, បន្ទាយសំរែ ; "The Citadel of the Samré") is a temple at

Angkor Angkor ( km, អង្គរ , 'Capital city'), also known as Yasodharapura ( km, យសោធរបុរៈ; sa, यशोधरपुर),Headly, Robert K.; Chhor, Kylin; Lim, Lam Kheng; Kheang, Lim Hak; Chun, Chen. 1977. ''Cambodian-Engl ...

Cambodia Cambodia (; also Kampuchea ; km, កម្ពុជា, UNGEGN: ), officially the Kingdom of Cambodia, is a country located in the southern portion of the Indochinese Peninsula in Southeast Asia, spanning an area of , bordered by Thailan ...

, located 400 metres to the east of the East Baray. Built during the reign of

Suryavarman II Suryavarman II ( km, សូរ្យវរ្ម័នទី២), posthumously named Paramavishnuloka, was a Khmer king from 1113 AD to 1145/1150 AD and the builder of Angkor Wat, the largest religious monument in the world which he dedicated t ...

and

Yasovarman II Yasovarman II ( km, យសោវរ្ម័នទី២) was the ruler of the Khmer empire from 1160 to 1166. He succeeded Dharanindravarman II Dharanindravarman II ( km, ធរណីន្ទ្រវរ្ម័នទី២; also titled ''Pa ...

in the early 12th century, it is a

Hindu Hindus (; ) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism. Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pages 35–37 Historically, the term has also been used as a geographical, cultural, and later religious identifier for ...

temple in the Angkor Wat style. Named after the Samré, an ancient people of Indochina, the temple uses the same materials as the

Banteay Srei Banteay Srei or Banteay Srey ( km, បន្ទាយស្រី ) is a 10th-century Cambodian temple dedicated to the Hindu god Shiva. Located in the area of Angkor, it lies near the hill of Phnom Dei, north-east of the main group of temples ...

. Banteay Samré was excellently restored by

Maurice Glaize Maurice Glaize (26 December 1886 – 17 July 1964) was a French architect and archeologist, Conservator of Angkor from 1937 to 1945. Early years: education, wedding, war and professional experiences Born to a family of artists in Paris (his fa ...

from 1936 until 1944. The design of its single ogival tower is immediately recognizable as Angkor Wat style along with other temples in the region such as

Thommanon Thommanon ( km, ប្រាសាទធម្មនន្ទ) is one of a pair of Hindu temples built during the reign of Suryavarman II (1113–1150) at Angkor, Cambodia.Higham, C., 2001, The Civilization of Angkor, London: Weidenfeld & Nicol ...

and

Chau Say Tevoda Chau Say Tevoda ( km, ប្រាសាទចៅសាយទេវតា, literally: prolific grandchildren of a deity) is a temple at Angkor, Cambodia. It is just east of Angkor Thom, directly south of Thommanon across the Victory Way (it pre- ...

. Due to this temple's similarity to some monuments of north-east Thailand, it has the appearance of a compact Phimai. While there are no inscriptions describing its foundation, it seems likely to have been built by a high official of the court during the reign of King Suryavarman II.

Plan

It has a single tower over the shrine and this is connected by an

antarala Antarala (Sanskrit Sanskrit (; attributively , ; nominally , , ) is a classical language belonging to the Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. It arose in South Asia after its predecessor languages had diffused there from the ...

to a mandapa. All of this is flanked by two libraries, and two concentric gallery enclosures surround the ensemble. Banteay Samré is approached by a 200 metre long raised causeway from the east. This suggests that the temple enclosed a reasonable sized town. An avenue of 350 metres leads from the East Baray, ending in another cruciform terrace at the west side of the temple. The outer enclosure wall is 6 metres high and the inner enclosure has

gopura A ''gopuram'' or ''gopura'' ( Tamil: கோபுரம், Malayalam: ഗോപുരം, Kannada: ಗೋಪುರ, Telugu: గోపురం) is a monumental entrance tower, usually ornate, at the entrance of a Hindu temple, in the So ...

s at the cardinal points.''Ancient Angkor'' guide book by Michael Freeman and Claude Jacques, p. 164-165, published in 2003.

Gallery

File:Banteay Samre, Cambodia (2211425643).jpg File:Banteay Samre, Cambodia (2212220940).jpg File:Cambodge-BanteaySamré1.JPG File:Cambodge-BanteaySamré3.JPG File:021 Banteay Samre Temple Entrance.jpg, File:Cambodia-2786 - Smile for the funny man.... (3625351305).jpg, File:Banteay Samre, Cambodia (2211424871).jpg, File:Banteay Samre - 009 War Scene (8583460309).jpg

Notes

External links

Banteay Samre, Photographic Documentation and Gallery

References

* * Angkorian sites in Siem Reap Province Hindu temples in Siem Reap Province 12th-century Hindu temples {{Hindu-temple-stub