Banteay Kdei is a late 12th-century Buddhist monastery built by Jayavarman VII (the great builder-king who also built Angkor Thom and Bayon) that is often overlooked because of its proximity to the more famous Ta Prohm. The temple is similar in plan and atmosphere to Ta Prohm — surrounded by forest, with trees growing through ruined gallery walls — but with fewer visitors, better preservation of the carved galleries, and the atmospheric quiet that Ta Prohm lost when it became a tourist priority.
The adjacent Srah Srang ('Royal Bathing Pool') — a 700 x 350 metre reservoir built in the 10th century and lined with sandstone steps — sits directly across the road and provides the best sunrise alternative to Angkor Wat (fewer crowds, a landscape rather than an architectural silhouette). Banteay Kdei is best visited as a pairing with Srah Srang, either early morning or late afternoon, and makes an excellent 'back door' entry to the Small Circuit.
Verified Facts
Banteay Kdei was built in the late 12th century by Jayavarman VII
It is a Buddhist monastery, not a Hindu temple
Srah Srang measures 700 by 350 metres
Jayavarman VII also built Angkor Thom and the Bayon
Get walking directions
Angkor Archaeological Park
