Banteay Srey

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When I noticed other foreigners nearing the top at Kbal Spean, it was time to get to Banteay Srei, sometimes considered the "Jewel of Angkorian art" and according to the Lonely Planet Guidebook, "some of the finest stone carving anywhere on earth." This was built in AD 967 and was not commissioned by a King, but by a Brahman who was probably a tutor to the King.

I should have visited Banteay Srei first, as there was more people there than I liked, even though it was only 08:00. It was small in scale, compared to the temples built later, but the detail in the art-work was wonderful. It was more like wood carving than stone work.

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