near Phnom Dei, Angkor, Siem Reap · 13.5988°, 103.9633°
The 'Citadel of Women' — a miniature temple in rose-pink sandstone carved so deeply and finely it is called the jewel of Khmer art, and the rare great foundation built not by a king but by a scholar-priest, Yajnavaraha. Its pediments narrate Shiva's mythology with unmatched delicacy; the 1923 attempted theft of its apsaras by young André Malraux — future French culture minister — is one of art history's great scandals.
So fine is the carving that legend insisted no man's hand could have done it — the temple, people said, was carved by women; its guardian monkey-figures and the burning of Khandava forest pediment are keystones of Khmer myth in stone.
coordinates: wikipedia-2026-08-26 · sources retrieved 2026-08-26 · dynasty page: Khmer (Angkor)