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Banteay Srei is a 10th-century Hindu temple dedicated to Shiva, located 25 km northeast of the main Angkor group. Despite its small size, it is celebrated as the 'jewel of Khmer art' for its exquisitely detailed pink sandstone carvings, which are among the finest in the world.
Unique among Angkor temples, Banteay Srei was not built by a king but by a Brahmin counsellor named Yajnavaraha, who served Rajendravarman II. It was consecrated in 967 CE. The French writer André Malraux notoriously stole four devata figures from the site in 1923, leading to his arrest and trial.