Banteay Srei Temple has been known earlier as Banteay Serai which literally means the City of Victory. Later, people changed its original name into Banteay Srei means “Citadel of Woman” in Khmer. Banteay Srei is located about 35km in the North of Siem Reap and it is the only major temple in Angkor which was not built by a Monarch.

The factors to shape Banteay Srei Temple are pink and yellow sandstone because at that time, they were the high quality materials, better than the gray and green sandstone that they used to build Angkor Wat and Bayon.

Pink and yellow sandstone are so strong, this is the reason why the carvings on the wall of Banteay Srei are still in good condition and very superb. Measured by the regulations of Angkorian construction, Banteay Srei is an elegant small-scale, a fairy palace in the center of an endless and magical forest.

These elements have made Banteay Srei being generally known as a “precious gem” or “the jewel of Khmer art” and have led it to be one of the most popular tourist destinations in Siem Reap province.