Lacking any inscriptions describing its foundation, the mysterious history of Banteay Samre is left to speculation. According to local lore, construction may have initially commenced around 967AD for the Samré people, an isolated ethnic group believed to have inhabited the area long before the rise of the Khmer Empire. Historians believe it was later completed in the early 12th century by King Suryavarman II or his successor, King Yasovarman II.

Long before the iconic towers of Angkor Wat pierced the Cambodian skyline, another monument stood at the cradle of Khmer imperial ambition. Built in 881AD by King Indravarman I, Bakong Temple is considered the first large scale sandstone pyramid of the Angkorian period and the spiritual prototype for the grandeur that would come centuries later.