Banteay Kdei, a massive Buddhist monastery from the latter part of the 12th century, is surrounded by four concentric walls. Each of its four entrances is decorated with garudas , which hold aloft one of Jayavarman VII’s favourite themes: the four faces of Avalokiteshvara. East of Banteay Kdei is an earlier basin, Sra Srang, measuring 800m by 400m, reserved for the king and his consorts.
The outer wall of Banteay Kdei measures 500m by 700m. The inside of the central tower was never finished and much of the temple is in a ruinous state due to hasty construction. It is considerably less busy than nearby Ta Prohm and this alone can justify a visit.
A tiny island in the middle of Sra Srang once bore a wooden temple, of which only the stone base remains. This is a beautiful body of water from which to take in a quiet sunrise.
Allow about one hour to visit Banteay Kdei and take in the view over nearby Sra Srang.
Photography – George Mann
These guys were wandering by just as we were about to enter the Banteay Kdei temple. It is a pretty good indication of how relaxed this particular location is.
Photography – George Mann
View from the west gate side of Banteay Kdei. I have to say that I love this temple, in large part because it does not get as many visitors as it’s neighbor Ta Prohm, but also because it has such a tranquil feeling throughout.
These guys were wandering by just as we were about to enter the Banteay Kdei temple. It is a pretty good indication of how relaxed this particular location is.
This family was burning insence and praying in the middle of the almost 1,000 year old ruin of the temple library.
Just inside of the entrance of the main temple ruins stands this active Buddhist shrine. A reminder that these temples are religious sites to the Cambodian population.
A corridor that seems to have no ending.
I find the lichen and moss on these old columns to be incredibly beautiful.
A small carving that has lost it’s exact place in the universe over the years. In some ways it might be best if it just stays that way.
What can you say, this place must have been a wonder to behold when it was first built, just as it is now.
As we were leaving a large Cambodian family was coming into the temple. The girl in the foreground was videotaping the event. A large number of Cambodians visit the temples on their days off from work, adding them to the weekend tourists from neighboring countries, can make some of the temples very crowded on weekends.
Source From: http://www.lonelyplanet.com and http://angkorroad.com