Banteay Srei

Infobox Mandir

---

creator =
proper_name = Banteay Srei
date_built = 967
primary_deity = Siva
architecture = Khmer
location = Angkor, Cambodia

Banteay Srei (or Banteay Srey) (Khmer: ប្រាសាទបន្ទាយស្រី) is a 10th century Cambodian temple dedicated to the Hindu god Shiva. Located in the area of Angkor in Cambodia, at 13.5989 N, 103.9628 E, it lies near the hill of Phnom Dei, 25 km (15 miles) north-east of the main group of temples that once belonged to the medieval capitals of Yasodharapura and Angkor Thom. [Higham, "The Civilization of Angkor", p.79.] Banteay Srei is built largely of red sandstone, a medium that lends itself to the elaborate decorative wall carvings which are still observable today. The buildings themselves are miniature in scale, unusually so when measured by the standards of Angkorian construction. These factors have made the temple extremely popular with tourists, and have led to its being widely praised as a "precious gem", or the "jewel of Khmer art." [Glaize, "The Monuments of the Angkor Group" p. 183.]

History

Foundation and dedication

Consecrated in 967 A.D., Banteay Srei was the only major temple at Angkor not built by a monarch; its construction is credited to a courtier named Yajnavaraha, who served as a counsellor to king Rajendravarman. The foundational stela says that Yajnavaraha was a scholar and philanthropist who helped those who suffered from illness, injustice, or poverty. [Higham, "The Civilization of Angkor", p.80.] Originally, the temple was surrounded by a town called Isvarapura.

Yajnyavaraha's temple was primarily dedicated to the Hindu god Shiva. Originally, it was carried the name "Tribhuvanamahesvara" — great lord of the threefold world — in reference to the Shaivite linga that served as its central religious image. [Freeman and Jacques, "Ancient Angkor" p. 206.] However, the temple buildings appear to be divided along the central east-west axis between those buildings located south of the axis, which are devoted to Shiva, and those north of the axis, which are devoted to Vishnu.

The temple's modern name, "Banteay Srei" — citadel of the women, or citadel of beauty — is probably related to the intricacy of the bas relief carvings found on the walls and the tiny dimensions of the buildings themselves. [Freeman and Jacques, "Ancient Angkor" p. 206.] Some have speculated that it relates to the many devatas carved into the walls of the buildings. [Jessup, "Art & Architecture of Cambodia", p.101.]

Expansion and rededication

Banteay Srei was subject to further expansion and rebuilding work in the eleventh century. At some point it came under the control of the king and had its original dedication changed; an inscription of the early twelfth century records the temple being given to the priest Divarakapandita and being rededicated to Shiva. [Higham, "The Civilization of Angkor", p. 114.] It remained in use at least until the fourteenth century. [APSARA Authority, [http://www.autoriteapsara.org/en/angkor/temples_sites/temples/banteay_srei.html Banteay Srei] .]

Restoration

The temple was rediscovered only in 1914, and was the subject of a celebrated case of art theft when André Malraux stole four devatas in 1923 (he was soon arrested and the figures returned). [Freeman and Jacques, "Ancient Angkor", p.207.] The incident stimulated interest in the site, which was cleared the following year, and in the 1930s Banteay Srei was restored in the first important use of anastylosis at Angkor. Until the discovery of the foundation stela in 1936, it had been assumed that the extreme decoration indicated a later date than was in fact the case. [ Glaize, "The Monuments of the Angkor Group", p. 183.] To prevent the site from water damage, the joint Cambodian-Swiss Banteay Srei Conservation Project installed a drainage system between 2000 and 2003. [APSARA Authority, [http://www.autoriteapsara.org/en/apsara/about_apsara/news.html News 12 August 2005] .] Measures were also taken to prevent damage to the temples walls being caused by nearby trees. [APSARA Authority, [http://www.autoriteapsara.org/en/apsara/about_apsara/projects/bscp.html Banteay Srei Conservation Project] ] Unfortunately, the temple has been ravaged by pilfering and vandalism. When toward the end of the 20th century authorities removed some original statues and replaced them with concrete replicas, looters took to attacking the replicas. A statue of Shiva and his shakti Uma, removed to the National Museum in Phnom Penh for safekeeping, was assaulted in the museum itself. [Jessup, "Art & Architecture of Cambodia", p.104.]

Materials and style

Banteay Srei is built largely of a hard red sandstone that can be carved like wood. [Glaize, "Monuments of the Angkor Group", p.183.] Brick and laterite were used only for the enclosure walls and some structural elements. The temple is known for the beauty of its sandstone lintels and pediments.

A pediment is the roughly triangular space above a rectangular doorway or openings. At Banteay Srei, pediments are relatively large in comparison to the openings below, and take a sweeping gabled shape. For the first time in the history of Khmer architecture, whole scenes of mythological subject-matter are depicted on the pediments.

A lintel is a horizontal beam spanning the gap between two posts. Some lintels serve a structural purpose, serving to support the weight of the superstructure, while others are purely decorative in purpose. The lintels at Banteay Srei are beautifully carved, rivalling those of the 9th century Preah Ko style in quality.

Noteworthy decorative motifs include the kala (a toothy monster symbolic of time), the guardian dvarapala (an armed protector of the temple) and devata (demi-goddess), the false door, and the colonette. [Mannikka, [http://kaladarshan.arts.ohio-state.edu/seasia/bantsrei.html Banteay Srei] ] Indeed, decorative carvings seem to cover almost every available surface. According to pioneering Angkor scholar Maurice Glaize, "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." At Banteay Srei, wrote Glaize, "the work relates more closely to the art of the goldsmith or to carving in wood than to sculpture in stone". [Glaize, "The Monuments of the Angkor Group", p. 183.]

The site

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The outer Gopura

The gopura is all that remains of the outer wall surrounding the town of Isvapura. The wall is believed to have measured approximately 500 m square, and may have been constructed of wood. The gopura's eastern pediment shows Indra, who was associated with that direction, mounted on his three-headed elephant Airavata. [Freeman and Jacques, "Ancient Angkor", p. 207.] The 67 m causeway with the remains of corridors on either side connects the gopura with the third enclosure. North and south of this causeway are galleries with a north-south orientation.

The Third (Outer) Enclosure

The third enclosure is 95 by 110 m; it is surrounded by a laterite wall breached by gopuras at the eastern and western ends. [Glaize, "Monuments of the Angkor Group", p.184.] Neither pediment of the eastern gopura is "in situ". The west-facing pediment is now located in the Musée Guimet in Paris. It depicts a scene from the Mahabharata in which the Asura brothers Sunda and Upasunda fight over the Apsaras Tilottama. The east-facing pediment is lying on the ground. It depicts a scene from the Ramayana in which a demon seizes Rama's wife Sita. [Freeman and Jacques, "Ancient Angkor", p.209.] Most of the area within the third enclosure is occupied by a moat divided into two parts by causeways to the east and west.

The Second Enclosure

The second enclosure sits between an outer laterite wall measuring 38 by 42 m, with gopuras at the eastern and western ends, and a brick inner enclosure wall, measuring 24 by 24 m. [Glaize, "Monuments of the Angkor Group", p.184.] The western gopura features an interesting bas relief depicting the duel of the monkey princes Vali and Sugreeva, as well as Rama's intervention on Sugreeva's behalf. The inner enclosure wall has collapsed, leaving a gopura at the eastern end and a brick shrine at the western. The eastern pediment of the gopura shows Shiva Nataraja; the west-facing pediment has an image of Durga. Likewise, the laterite galleries which once filled the second enclosure (one each to north and south, two each to east and west) have partially collapsed. A pediment on one of the galleries shows the lion-man Narasimha clawing the demon Hiranyakasipu.

The First (Inner) Enclosure

Between the gopuras on the collapsed inner wall are the buildings of the inner enclosure: a library in the south-east corner and another in the north-east corner, and in the centre the sanctuary set on a T-shaped platform 0.9 m high. Besides being the most extravagantly decorated parts of the temple, these have also been the most successfully restored (helped by the durability of their sandstone and their small scale). As of 2005, the entire first enclosure was off-limits to visitors, as was the southern half of the second enclosure.

The Libraries

The two libraries are of brick, laterite and sandstone. Each library has two pediments, one on the eastern side and one on the western. According to Maurice Glaize, the four library pediments, "representing the first appearance of tympanums with scenes, are works of the highest order. Superior in composition to any which followed, they show true craftsmanship in their modelling in a skilful blend of stylisation and realism." [Glaize, "The Monuments of the Angkor Group", p. 187.]
* The east-facing pediment on the southern library shows Shiva seated on the summit of Mount Kailasa, his mythological abode. His consort Uma sits on his lap and clings anxiously to his torso. Other beings are also present on the slopes of the mountain, arranged in a strict hierarchy of three tiers from top to bottom. In the top tier sit bearded wise men and ascetics, in the middle tier mythological figures with the heads of animals and the bodies of humans, and in the bottom tier large animals, including a number of lions. In the middle of the scene stands the ten-headed demon king Ravana. He is shaking the mountain in its very foundations as the animals flee from his presence and as the wise men and mythological beings discuss the situation or pray. According to the legend, Shiva stopped Ravana from shaking the mountain by using his toe to press down on the mountain and to trap Ravana underneath for 1000 years. [Rovedo, "Khmer Mythology", p.34.]
* The west-facing pediment on southern library shows Shiva again seated on the summit of Mount Kailasa. He is looking to his left at the god of love Kama, who is aiming an arrow at him. Uma sits to Shiva's right; he is handing her a chain of beads. The slopes of the mountain are crowded with other beings, again arranged in a strict hierarchy from top to bottom. Just under Shiva sit a group of bearded wise men and ascetics, under whom the second tier is occupied by the mythological beings with the heads of animals and the bodies of humans; the lowest tier belongs the common people, who mingle sociably with tame deer and a large gentle bull. According to the legend, Kama fired an arrow at Shiva in order to cause Shiva to take an interest in Uma. Shiva, however, was greatly angered by this provocation, and punished Kama by gazing upon him with his third eye, frying Kama to cinders. [Rovedo, "Khmer Mythology", p.34.]
* The east-facing pediment on the northern library shows the god of the sky Indra creating rain to put out a forest fire started by the god of fire Agni for purposes of killing the naga king Takshaka who lived in Khandava Forest. The Mahabharatan heroes Krishna and Arjuna are shown helping Agni by firing a dense hail of arrows to block Indra's rain. Takshaka's son Aswasena is depicted attempting to escape from the conflagration, while other animals stampede about in panic.
* The west-facing pediment on the southern library depicts Krishna slaying his wicked uncle Kamsa. [Rovedo, "Khmer Mythology", p.44.]

The Sanctuary

The sanctuary is entered from the east by a doorway only 1.08 m in height: inside is an entrance chamber (or mandapa) with a corbelled brick roof, then a short corridor leading to three towers to the west: the central tower is the tallest, at 9.8 m. Glaize notes the impression of delicacy given the towers by the antefixes on each of their tiers. The six stairways leading up to the platform were each guarded by two kneeling statues of human figures with animal heads; most of those now in place are replicas, the originals having been stolen or removed to museums.

ee also

* Angkor
* Architecture of Cambodia

References

*Freeman, Michael and Jacques, Claude (1999). "Ancient Angkor". River Books. ISBN 0-8348-0426-3.
*Glaize, Maurice (2003 edition of an English translation of the 1993 French fourth edition). [http://www.theangkorguide.com/text/part-two/angkorwat-to-angkorthom/angkorwat.htm The Monuments of the Angkor Group] . Retrieved 14 July 2005.
*Higham, Charles (2001). "The Civilization of Angkor". Phoenix. ISBN 1-84212-584-2.
*Jessup, Helen Ibbetson (2004). "Art & Architecture of Cambodia". Thames & Hudson. pp.99-104.
*Rovedo, Vittorio (1997). "Khmer Mythology: Secrets of Angkor". New York: Weatherhill. (This work should be used with caution. While it is thorough in its treatment of Angkorian representational art, and contains many useful photographs, it is sometimes inaccurate in its characterization of the underlying Indian myths, and does not reflect a thorough investigation of sources for those myths.)

Footnotes

External links

* APSARA Authority. [http://www.autoriteapsara.org/en/angkor/temples_sites/temples/banteay_srei.html Banteay Srei]
* Angkor.com: [http://www.angkor.com/banteay/index.shtml Banteay Srei] Images of parts of the temple no longer accessible to visitors.
* [http://www.angkor-net.de/english/Angkor-Banteay_Srei-e.shtml Banteay Srei Photo Gallery]
* [http://angkorblog.com/_wsn/page2.html Photos of Banteay Srei] with explanations of three of the stories depicted in the bas-reliefs: the stories of the monkey princes Bali and Sugreeva, of the man-lion Narasimha, and of the slaughter at the Khandava Forest.