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

Angkor Angkor ( , 'capital city'), also known as Yasodharapura (; ),Headly, Robert K.; Chhor, Kylin; Lim, Lam Kheng; Kheang, Lim Hak; Chun, Chen. 1977. ''Cambodian-English Dictionary''. Bureau of Special Research in Modern Languages. The Catholic Uni ...

Cambodia Cambodia, officially the Kingdom of Cambodia, is a country in Southeast Asia on the Mainland Southeast Asia, Indochinese Peninsula. It is bordered by Thailand to the northwest, Laos to the north, and Vietnam to the east, and has a coastline ...

, located 400 metres to the east of the East Baray. Built during the reign of Suryavarman II and Yasovarman II in the early 12th century, it is a

Hindu Hindus (; ; also known as Sanātanīs) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism, also known by its endonym Sanātana Dharma. Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pp. 35–37 Historically, the term has also be ...

temple in the

Angkor Wat Angkor Wat (; , "City/Capital of Wat, Temples") is a Buddhism and Hinduism, Hindu-Buddhist temple complex in Cambodia. Located on a site measuring within the ancient Khmer Empire, Khmer capital city of Angkor, it was originally constructed ...

style. Named after the Samré, an ancient people of Indochina, the temple uses the same materials as the Banteay Srei. 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

style along with other temples in the region such as Thommanon and Chau Say Tevoda. 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: अन्तराल; ) is a small antechamber or foyer between the ''garbhagriha A ''garbhagriha'' () is the innermost sanctuary of Hindu and Jain temples, often referred to as the "holy of holies" or " sanctum ...

to a

mandapa A ''mandapa'' or ''mantapa'' () is a pillared hall or pavilion for public rituals in Indian architecture, especially featured in Hindu temple architecture and Jain temple architecture. ''Mandapas'' are described as "open" or "closed" dependin ...

. 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 language, Tamil: கோபுரம், Telugu language, Telugu: గోపురం, Kannada: ಗೋಪುರ, Malayalam language, Malayalam: ഗോപുരം) is a monumental entrance tower, usually ornate ...

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