Banteay Samre Temple

Date : Mid 12tn century Religion: Hindu Reign : Suryavarman  most complete complexes at Style : Angkor Wat Banteay Samre is one of the Angkor and was restored using the archaeological method known as anastylosis. This method entails complete deconstruction of the building, numbering of its component parts and then painstaking reconstruction. Sadly, the absence of maintenance over the past 20 years is evident. The name Samre refers to an ethnic group of mountain people who inhabited the region near the feet of the Phnom Kulen hills. They were probably related to the Khmers. No inscription has been found for this temple but its style places it in the central period of classical architecture close to the building of Angkor Wat. A unique feature is the interior moat with laterite paving which, when filled with water, must have given an ethereal atmosphere to the temple. Other buildings around the moat are raised on mouldings and are decorated with figures framed by lotus buds.