This is a 10th-century temple, named "Citadel of Women or of Beauty" is dedicated to the Hindu god Shiva. Located near the hill of Phnom Dei, 30 km north-east of Siem Reap. Banteay Srei is built largely of red sandstone, from which elaborate decorative wall carvings were made.

The temple is known for the beauty of its sandstone lintels and pediments. It was the only major temple at Angkor not built by a monarch; its construction is credited to the courtiers named Vishnukumara and Yajnavaraha who whose pupil was the future king Jayavarman V.

In that it is unusual in that it is still a demonstration of wealth, power and the veneration of the gods but that has manifested in the feminine beauty of the detail and intricacy of the carvings, rather than in the sense of enormity and gravitas of Angkor Wat or Bayon.

A trip to it can easily be combined with a trip to the Kulen National Park. It is known as the birthplace of the ancient Khmer empire as it is here that King Jayavarman II proclaimed Cambodia’s independence from Java. The Kbal Spean has a river with 1,000 barely submerged linga and a beautifu waterfall. Nearby there is the 16th-century Preah Ang Thom pagoda with its giant reclining Buddha.

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