Kuk Yeay Ham

Kuk Yeay Ham is a temple located in Chres Village, Prey Chhor District, Kampong Cham Province. This temple is approximately 90 kilometers from Phnom Penh. Tourists in Phnom Penh can visit this temple by traveling along National Road 6 to the intersection of Skuon, turn right to the provincial town of Kampong Cham on National Road 7 until arriving at the gate of Wat Sovan Pichey Raksmey Sangke, then turn 4 kilometers into the pagoda and travel through the fields for about 500 meters to reach the site of this ancient temple.

History

The history of Kuk Yeay Ham is both a legend and a true history related to the construction of the temple. According to the legend, there was an old lady named Yeay Ham who sacrificed her life to protect the property in this temple during war, and after she died, they named this temple Yeay Ham. In front of the temple today there is a hermitage, a shrine with a statue of Yeay Ham on the side as a place of worship. According to​​ the true history, this temple was built by Khmer ancestors during the Angkor period under the reign of Jayavarman VII, and the architecture of the structure suggests that it has been a place of worship since the Angkor period, in the 7-8th centuries. And perhaps later because the structure was damaged, a Khmer king built a new temple there during the Angkor period, but not on the foundation of the old temple, but on the site of the previous temple. .

Physical description

Today, all that remains is a tower made of pure sandstone. The temple has four entrances, with the east gate as the main entrance, which is a significant direction for the Khmer.