Banteay Srei (or Banteay Srey) - also known as the ‘Citadel of the Women’ - is a 10th Century temple dedicated to the Hindu god Shiva. Located in the area of Angkor it lies near the hill of Phnom Dei, 25 km (15 miles) north-east of the main group of temples that once belonged to the medieval capitals of Yasodharapura and Angkor Thom. Banteay Srei is built largely of pink sandstone, a medium that lends itself to the elaborate decorative wall carvings which are still observable today. The buildings themselves are miniature in scale, unusually so when measured by the standards of Angkorian construction. The modern name, Banteay Srei is generally regarded as being due to the intricacy of the carving and the tiny dimensions of the architecture. Originally, however, the temple was named Tribhuvanamahesvara — great lord of the threefold world — in reference to the Shaivite linga that served as its central religious image. The temple was surrounded by a town called Isvarapura.