Banteay Samre is a temple at Angkor, Cambodia located east of the East Baray. Built under Suryavarman II and Yasovarman II in the early 12th century, it is a Hindu temple in the Angkor Wat style.

© davidionut/Getty Images/iStockphoto

Banteay Samré

Temples of Angkor

LoginSave

Banteay Samré dates from the same period as Angkor Wat and was built by Suryavarman II. The temple is in a fairly healthy state of preservation due to some extensive renovation work, although its isolation has resulted in some looting during the past few decades. The area consists of a central temple with four wings, preceded by a hall and also accompanied by two libraries, the southern one remarkably well preserved.

The whole ensemble is enclosed by two large concentric walls around what would have been the unique feature of an inner moat, now dry.

Banteay Samré is 400m east of the Eastern Baray. A visit here can be combined with a trip to Banteay Srei and/or Phnom Bok.

Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

  • 26408-37 Asia, Cambodia, Siem Reap, South-East Asia, aged, ancient, architecture, architecture and art, art, built structure, clear sky, culture, day, epoch, historic, history, horizontal, human representation, low angle view, no people, old, outdoors, past, sculpture, stone Stone heads, Bayon.

    Bayon

    6.68 MILES

    At the heart of Angkor Thom is the 12th-century Bayon, the mesmerising, if slightly mind-bending, state temple of Jayavarman VII. It epitomises the…

  • 26408-45 Asia, Cambodia, Siem Reap, South-East Asia, aged, architecture, architecture and art, art, built structure, carving, close-up, culture, day, female likeness, focus on foreground, history, horizontal, human representation, no people, old, outdoors, past, sculpture, statue, wall Bas-relief detail, Banteay Srei.

    Banteay Srei

    10.77 MILES

    Considered by many to be the jewel in the crown of Angkorian art, Banteay Srei is cut from stone of a pinkish hue and includes some of the finest stone…

  • A tree growing through the temple Beng Mealea in Angkor Wat. 500px Photo ID: 155059645 Angkor Wat, Cambodia, Beng Mealea, temple, ruins, rubble, decay, tree, Nikon, travel, travel photography, adventure, amazing, blocks, Siem Reap, SE Asia

    Beng Mealea

    18.3 MILES

    A spectacular sight to behold, Beng Mealea, located about 68km northeast of Siem Reap, is one of the most mysterious temples at Angkor, as nature has well…

  • Taken in Angkor Wat in Cambodia.

    Angkor Wat

    6.55 MILES

    The traveller's first glimpse of Angkor Wat, the ultimate expression of Khmer genius, is matched by only a few select spots on earth. Built by Suryavarman…

  • Overgrown temple of Ta Prohm.

    Ta Prohm

    4.74 MILES

    The so-called 'Tomb Raider Temple', Ta Prohm is cloaked in dappled shadow, its crumbling towers and walls locked in the slow muscular embrace of vast root…

  • Flocks of nesting pelicans, comorants, and herons crowd the canopies of submered trees at Prek Toal Bird Sanctuary on Tongle Sap lake.

    Prek Toal Bird Sanctuary

    24.51 MILES

    Prek Toal is one of three biospheres on the Tonlé Sap lake, and this stunning bird sanctuary makes it the most worthwhile and straightforward of the three…

  • Entrance to Angkor National Museum, Siem Reap, Cambodia.

    Angkor National Museum

    8.49 MILES

    Looming large on the road to Angkor is the Angkor National Museum, a state-of-the-art showpiece on the Khmer civilisation and the majesty of Angkor…

  • Cambodian people making crafts in Siem Reap, Cambodia. Artisans d'Angkor, an artisan group trained by the Chantiers-Ecoles de Formation Professionnelle.

    Artisans Angkor – Les Chantiers Écoles

    9.48 MILES

    Siem Reap is the epicentre of the drive to revitalise Cambodian traditional culture, which was dealt a harsh blow by the Khmer Rouge and the years of…

View more attractions

Nearby Temples of Angkor attractions

1. Phnom Bok

2.3 MILES

One of three temple-mountains built by Yasovarman I in the late 9th or early 10th century, this peaceful but remote location (about 25km from Siem Reap)…

2. Eastern Mebon

2.65 MILES

This Hindu temple, erected by Rajendravarman II, would once have been situated on an islet in the centre of the Eastern Baray, but it is now very much on…

3. Pre Rup

2.65 MILES

Pre Rup, built by Rajendravarman II, is about 1km south of the Eastern Mebon and is a popular spot for sunset. The temple consists of a pyramid-shaped…

4. Eastern Baray

2.82 MILES

The enormous one-time reservoir known as the Eastern Baray was excavated by Yasovarman I, who marked its four corners with stelae. This basin, now…

5. Ta Som

3.47 MILES

Standing to the east of Preah Neak Poan, Ta Som is one of the late-12th-century Buddhist temples of prolific builder Jayavarman VII. The most impressive…

6. Sra Srang

3.84 MILES

Just east of Banteay Kdei is a basin of earlier construction, Sra Srang, measuring 800m by 400m, which was reserved for the king and his wives. A tiny…

7. Banteay Kdei & Sra Srang

4.11 MILES

Banteay Kdei, a massive Buddhist monastery from the latter part of the 12th century, is surrounded by four concentric walls. Each of its four entrances is…

8. Prasat Kravan

4.29 MILES

Uninspiring from the outside, the interior brick carvings concealed within its towers are the hidden treasure of Prasat Kravan. The five brick towers,…