Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
1
LEGENDS OF YEAH PEAU
Various legends surround the
Yeah Peau temple
. One tells how King Preah Ket Mealea fell in
love with a young girl named Peau, who gave birth to his son, whom she named Prohm. The
king returned to his court but left behind a ring and sacred dagger so that in years to come
Prohm would be able to prove his regal descent. Prohm duly went to his father's court and
stayed many years, presumably forgetting his mother, for when he finally returned home he
fell in love with her, refusing to believe her when she said he was her son. To resolve the
matter, it was agreed that Peau and Prohm would each build a temple; if he finished first she
would marry him, and if she finished first he would acknowledge her as his mother. The
contest took place at night with the women helping Peau and the men assisting Prohm. In the
middle of the night, the women raised a lighted candle into the sky. The men, thinking this
was the morning star, settled down to sleep in the belief that they could not be beaten,
leaving the women to carry on working and complete their temple first. (This rivalry between
women and men is a common theme in Cambodian pagodas, cropping up many times in
different guises.)
Yeah Peau
Some 100m north of Ta Prohm in the grounds of the modern Wat Tonle Bati, lies the
single, sandstone twelfth-century temple of
Yeah Peau
. Wat Tonle Bati was badly
damaged by the Khmer Rouge and some pieces of gnarled metal behind the main
Buddha are all that is left of the original headless statue. Beside the Buddha is a statue
of Peau, while outside in the courtyard are five large seated Buddhas, each with their
hands in a different
mudra
.
Phnom Chisor
65km south of Phnom Penh, off NR2 • Daily 7am-5pm • Foreigners $2 (pay at the summit) • The Takeo bus from Phnom Penh stops along
the main road, where enterprising moto drivers are on hand to take you the final 2km for around $1; alternatively, take an excursion with
one of the capital's travel agents or guesthouses
Originally known as Suryadri (“Sun Mountain”),
Phnom Chisor
was built early in the
eleventh century by Suryavarman I and was once a site of some significance, housing
one of four sacred linga installed by the king in temples at the boundaries of his
kingdom. A hot and tiring flight of 412 steps ascends the hill from the south, though
there is a shady pavilion two thirds up, and refreshment-sellers at the top and bottom.
There's a modern pagoda at the summit and a burgeoning number of sanctuaries
scattered about.
he
villages
east of Phnom Chisor weave very fine traditional
hol
, a patterned silk
sampot
traditionally worn during ceremonies. It's worth buying a piece if you can find
someone with a finished length, although this isn't easy as most is produced to order.
UNESCO is helping the weavers here relearn the use of natural dyes, a skill that was
lost during the Pol Pot years.
Prasat Preah Ko Preah Kaew
One of the more interesting pagodas at Phnom Chisor,
Prasat Preah Ko Preah Kaew
(turn right at the top of the staircase when you reach the summit) contains images of
the cow and small boy from which it gets its name. According to one legend, also
repeated at the Preah Ko shrine in Lovek, a pregnant woman climbed a mango tree to
eat some fruit, despite being warned not to, and fell; the shock induced labour, and
from her womb emerged a baby boy and a cow.
Prasat Boran
At the far, northern, end of the hill, the ancient temple of
Prasat
Boran
still retains
some well-preserved carved sandstone lintels. The temple was built opening to the east,
