BANTEAY SREI
This Hindu temple that dates back to the 10th century is a little remote, but worth the visit. It is often called the Citadel of Women, although this may be due to incorrect translation. Still, the women's temple interpretation is much better than the wrong translation, so we will go with it. It is a beautiful and serene temple with exquisitely detailed carving, built from the pink sandstone.
The temple is rectangular, enclosed by three walls, and there are remains of a moat. The central sanctuary contains a shrine dedicated to Shiva, the Hindu God of Destruction, while the wonderful carvings reproduce the scenes from the epic Ramayana. If you come early and there are not many tourists around, the guards may let you enter the central sanctuary with elaborate carved figures of gods and goddesses in the recessed niches of the central sanctuary towers. This is one of our favorite temples.
