Yeay Peau

Cambodia


What little remains of Yeay Peau temple, named after King Prohm’s mother, can be found 150m north of Ta Prohm in the grounds of a modern pagoda.

Legend has it that Peau gave birth to a son, Prohm. When Prohm discovered his father was King Preah Ket Mealea, he set off to live with the king. After a few years, he returned to his mother but did not recognise her; taken by her beauty, he asked her to become his wife. He refused to believe Peau’s protests that she was his mother. To put off his advances and avoid the impending marriage, Peau suggested a temple-building contest whereby the winner would get their wish. When Yeay Peau was completed first, Prohm was forced to acknowledge Peau as his mother.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby Cambodia attractions

1. Ta Prohm

0.11 MILES

The laterite temple of Ta Prohm was built by King Jayavarman VII (r 1181–1219) on the site of a 6th-century Khmer shrine. The main sanctuary consists of…

2. Tonlé Bati

0.2 MILES

Tonlé Bati is the collective name for a pair of old Angkorian-era temples, Ta Prohm and Yeay Peau, and a popular lakeside picnic area. It's worth a detour…

3. Phnom Tamao Wildlife Rescue Centre

4 MILES

This wonderful wildlife sanctuary for rescued animals is home to gibbons, sun bears, elephants, tigers, lions, deer, enormous pythons and a massive bird…

4. Phnom Chisor

10.74 MILES

A temple from the Angkorian era, Phnom Chisor is set upon a solitary hill in Takeo Province, offering superb views of the countryside. Try to get here…

5. Killing Fields of Choeung Ek

10.76 MILES

Between 1975 and 1978, about 20,000 men, women, children and infants who had been detained and tortured at S-21 prison were transported to the…

6. Kbach Arts

14.02 MILES

Cambodia finally got a sizable contemporary arts space in 2019, when Kbach moved into three galleries covering 400 sq metres of Factory Phnom Penh. The…

7. Factory Phnom Penh

14.05 MILES

This 3.4-hectare Levi's garment factory, 2km south of town, was completely transformed in 2018 into a graffiti-covered hub for entrepreneurs, artists and…

8. Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum

15.31 MILES

In 1975 Tuol Svay Prey High School was taken over by Pol Pot’s security forces and turned into a prison known as Security Prison 21 (S-21); it soon became…

  • placement: superzone
  • path: Destinations/POIs/superzone
  • possible size: [970, 250], [970, 90], [728, 90], [1, 1],
  • targeting:
    {
      "url": "cambodia/phnom-penh-around/attractions/yeay-peau/a/poi-sig/1064945/1341231",
      "destination": "Cambodia",
      "continent": "Asia",
      "country": "Cambodia",
      "position": "superzone"
    }