There is something about a ruin that speaks to me as a photographer. The stories the old structures could tell of people and events from the past sometimes seem more vivid than those of a better-preserved or reconstructed old building. And where better to explore some ruins than among the temples of Angkor in Cambodia?
Angkor Wat is justifiably famous of course, and on many people’s bucket list. I was thrilled to see it for myself! But there are many more temples and other buildings to be discovered around Angkor. Indeed there are dozens of temple complexes that can be visited within the park.
For this week’s Lens Artists challenge, hosted by Anne on the theme of ‘Abandoned’, I want to share one of the most atmospheric of the Angkor ruins we visited, Banteay Kdei.
A brief history
This temple was built in the mid 12th to early 13th centuries AD, during the reign of Jayavarman VII. He was the king who defeated the Cham and built the new capital city of Angkor Thom, the Bayon and Ta Prohm. Banteay Kdei is smaller than any of those and was built as a Buddhist monastery on the site of an earlier temple built by Rajendravarman, a 10th century Khmer king. Its name means ‘Citadel of Chambers’, which is apt; these ruins are a fascinating maze of chambers.
The temple was vandalised later in the 13th century and for centuries remained neglected and covered with vegetation. It was uncovered in 1920–1922, under the oversight of Henri Marchal, known as the ‘Conservator of Angkor’ and was for a period again partially occupied by Buddhist monks. But it was abandoned again during the dreadful Khmer Rouge era and civil war years, and has since fallen further back into ruin. And it has declined more quickly than some other Angkor temples as, for reasons not completely clear to historians, it was built with poor quality sandstone and equally poor workmanship. Some experts think that the king’s wealth may have been declining at this point.
The poor sandstone has however helped to create a particularly atmospheric ruin to explore. And unlike the other places we went at Angkor, we had this almost to ourselves. It tends to be much less visited and just two other couples were exploring with their guides. Perhaps for this reason it was one of my favourites of the sites we went to.
The temple approach
We approached from the east, passing through one of the four entrance buildings known as gopura. Each has the same enigmatic face (Jayavarman VII? Avalokitesvara?) as the gates of Angkor Thom and the Bayon.
Beyond this we came to the main entrance causeway across the moat. This is guarded by stone lions and balustrades decorated with nagas (half-human, half-serpent beings).
The causeway and approach to the temple
In the entrance to the temple is a contemporary Buddha statue. It is clearly still the focus for Buddhist worship like those at Angkor Wat.
Buddha statue near the entrance gate
Beyond that entrance and to one side of the path is a library, a later addition to the temple.
The Hall of the Dancing Girls
The first main chamber we came to is known as the ‘Hall of the Dancing Girls’ because of the number of apsaras and devatas carved on the walls.
The Hall of the Dancing Girls
Interior galleries and enclosures
Beyond this are two rectangular galleries, rather like cloisters, one inside the other and with cross passages. Everything is on one level, unlike the Bayon for instance, and it’s easy to just wander and yet feel you’ve taken everything in. Unlike the statue outside, images of the Buddha inside have been defaced, destroyed or stolen.
The inner enclosure and a destroyed statue, probably a Buddha
The temple has not been very much restored and perhaps because of that has lots of atmosphere. A few trees are growing out of the stones, much as at Ta Prohm, and because of the soft sandstone many of the galleries and porches have collapsed. You can see in one of my photos above, of the Hall of the Dancing Girls, how the tower is being held together with blue tape.
A different view
When we emerged at the western end our guide Sam led us back around the outside on the southern side, and here we were completely alone. There were no other visitors to be seen apart from an occasional glimpse of one within the temple. It was the perfect spot from which to get our last views of an Angkor ruin.
Views from the south side
I visited Banteay Kdei in February 2020
43 Comments
grandmisadventures
Beautiful pictures of such an fascinating place 🙂
Sarah Wilkie
Thank you Meg 😊
Amy
Excellent choice, Sarah! What a grand tour of this amazing place.
Sarah Wilkie
Thank you Amy, I’m glad you enjoyed the tour 🙂
rkrontheroad
Thanks for taking us through this less traveled place. Although I did get to Angkor Wat, I knew there was so much more in the area. I wonder if the Dancing Girls was a brothel, or something like that from the time. There is a poignancy to those feet that stand alone.
Sarah Wilkie
I’m glad to have shown you this additional Angkor site Ruth 🙂 No, the term ‘dancing girls’ isn’t really an accurate description of apsaras, who were celestial beings a bit like nymphs. They are called apsaras if dancing, or devatas if in a static pose (according to most of what I’ve read though some sources seem to blur those distinctions). Traditional Cambodian dance costume is modelled on them.
Sofia Alves
Perfection, Sarah: the subject and your beautiful photos 🙂
Sarah Wilkie
Oh, thanks so much Sofia 😊
Leya
Maybe one of the most famous abandoned places in the world? Or The most famous! My husband went there many years ago when I was still working – so…this is one of the places I will never see. But your post was a splendid guide to the beauty of these ruins. Thank you, Sarah!
Sarah Wilkie
Thanks so much Ann Christine 😊 You’re right about Angkor’s fame, although many who haven’t visited tend to equate it just with Angkor Wat and don’t realise the wealth of other temples and palace ruins etc. in the area. Certainly I hadn’t heard of this particular one before visiting even though I knew about Angkor Thom, Ta Prom and more. This was a real treat!
Image Earth Travel
So many temples around the Angkor Wat area. It’s hard to see everything, but you’ve managed to see a great deal!
Sarah Wilkie
Not really tbh – it’s not so much my husband’s thing so we only spent one day as a compromise (I’d have liked a second, to get to some more remote ones!)
equinoxio21
Very good Sarah. Banteay Kdei is a very nice temple. Common and different features with others…
And I like the concept of Angkor beyond Angkor Wat. Actually we did not go to Angkor Wat until our very last day…
Sarah Wilkie
Thank you 🙂 Yes, I saw some common features – it was more especially the atmosphere that struck me as different as we’d mostly been to the more visited temples up to that point.
equinoxio21
The atmosphere of silence. Most present in some temples. And welcome.
Marie
Wonderful photos. I loved the Angkor temple ruins. I think I visited this one. I recognize the Buddha shots in the middle of the temple. But it has been 20 years. Such incredible design and workmanship.
Sarah Wilkie
Thank you Marie 🙂 I think once you’ve been here the impressions will stay with you for years even if the details of each temple become slightly blurred!
Anna
It’s such a special place isn’t it? The ruins around this area are amazing! Thanks for taking me back!
Sarah Wilkie
Glad you found it special too Anna 🙂
Rebecca
Angkor Wat is on my bucket list of places to visit, but it’s also wonderful to learn that there’s Banteay Kdei, which might not be as widely-visited as other parts of the complex. I hope to head over to Cambodia sooner than later to discover as much as possible. Thanks for sharing, Sarah!
Sarah Wilkie
I hope you get to go there soon Rebecca, I know you’d love it. And there’s so much more to Angkor than Angkor Wat – dozens of temples, some almost as well known and very visited (like Ta Prohm, the ‘Tomb Raider’ temple) and others like this a bit less so. If you have more time than we did you can go further afield and see temples that hardly anyone gets to!
JohnRH
Great photos. Complex indeed. Abandoned despite the hordes of tourists overrunning annually.
Sarah Wilkie
Thank you John 🙂 The attraction of these ‘minor’ temples is that there AREN’T hordes of tourists overrunning them!
thehungrytravellers.blog
I’m not sure whether it was this one but we did visit a similarly abandoned and less visited ruin. Some of these lesser publicised temples would be major sites in their own right anywhere else but in this region they are almost the poor relation. All of which makes it even more exciting to clamber over the broken structures and feel the history.
Sarah Wilkie
Yes, absolutely! It was refreshing to be able to properly absorb the atmosphere here, although I have to say we’d had a good experience at Angkor Wat at the start of this long day – after the sunrise most tourists went off to eat breakfast and return after that but our guide urged us to have a late breakfast after exploring Angkor Wat properly which meant we had that almost to ourselves too for the first half hour!
EgÃdio
Astonishing history and beautiful photos! One could easily spend hours just admiring the details in those columns and walls. Thanks for this wonderful post.
Sarah Wilkie
Thank you Egidio 🙂 You’re right about all the details. Unfortunately I was rather tired by the time we got here – we’d been up before dawn to see the sunrise over Angkor Wat, spent a long while exploring there, then seen the sights of Angkor Thom and other temples. This was the last of the day so I spent more time soaking up the atmosphere which was so relaxing after the busier sites, rather than photographing all the details.
Tina Schell
Your post was a wonderful reminder of why a visit to Angkor is so fascinating, and such a photographer’s dream. Like you, we loved our time in Cambodia, and especially in the temples. Your images are of course terrific. (I must admit we missed the feet!)
Sarah Wilkie
Thank you Tina 😀 It’s good to hear you were as fascinated by Angkor as I was. A shame you missed those feet but I bet you spotted other details that I missed!
margaret21
What an inspired choice for the challenge. This looks an evocative place with much to investigate and enjoy, despite being so – well – abandoned. It’s had a sad life, one way or another.
Sarah Wilkie
Thanks so much Margaret 😊 It was evocative, a large part due to the absence of other tourists (compared to the other Angkor sites we visited). So much easier to appreciate the atmosphere without a crowd of selfie-takers milling around!
margaret21
Lack of selfie-seekers is a definite bonus!
Ritva Sillanmäki Photography
I have not visited it either, so thank you for a beautifully crafted tour of this amazing site, history has left so many interesting places abandoned.
Sarah Wilkie
Thank you Ritva 🙂 Yes, there are many fascinating ruins around the world. I was spoiled for choice for this theme but many of those I’ve visited I have already shared!
Monkey's Tale
Even the temples in complete ruin are fascinating in Angkor area aren’t they? Maggie
Sarah Wilkie
Perhaps more so than the ones that aren’t? Or at least, more atmospheric 🙂
Anne Sandler
Wow Sarah. Beautiful photos and a wonderful history behind them. I’m hoping they are taking steps to preserve what’s left.
Sarah Wilkie
Thank you very much Anne 😊 Also for giving me the prompt to share this place! Yes, they are definitely trying to preserve what is left here, hence the blue tape. But with so many temples and other buildings to look after I’m not sure they’ll do much more – nor am I sure I would want them to!
Sue
Oh! A place I would have loved to have visited, alas it was not to be. But I have thoroughly enjoyed wandering through the ruins via your photos
Sarah Wilkie
Thanks so much Sue 😊 I’m sorry you never got to visit as I know you would have loved taking photos here.
Trresa
These temples and structures are so amazing. I would have loved to see it in person. Maybe one day.
kzmcb
A great entry for abandoned.
Sarah Wilkie
Thank you, it was one of the first I thought of for the challenge 🙂