14.0711°N, 103.0997°E.
Banteay Chhmar is a late 12th-century Buddhist temple complex in northwestern Cambodia, built during the reign of King Jayavarman VII (r. 1181-1218 CE) — the same ruler who built the Bayon at Angkor Thom and Ta Prohm. The temple sits 170 kilometres northwest of Angkor and is the largest Khmer monument outside the Angkor zone. The principal sandstone enclosure measures 770 by 690 metres, surrounded by a moat 65 metres wide. The temple is famous for its extensive bas-relief panels depicting battle scenes against the Cham, court life, and a series of multi-armed Avalokiteshvara figures on the inner gallery walls — among the most monumental depictions of this Mahayana Buddhist deity ever carved. The site suffered severe looting in 1998 when an entire 10-metre relief panel was cut and removed; the Cambodian government recovered some sections. The Global Heritage Fund has supported conservation since 2008.
The face towers still rise above the collapsed galleries.