Yeay Mao

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Yeay Mao or Lok Yeay Mao (Khmer: យាយម៉ៅ - លោកយាយម៉ៅ, simplified Chinese: 义毛; traditional Chinese: 義毛; pinyin: Yìmáo, or simplified Chinese: 老义毛; traditional Chinese: 老義毛; pinyin: Lǎo Yìmáo, Grandma Mao) is an ancient mythical heroine^[1] and a neak ta divinity in the local popular form of Buddhism and Brahmanism in Cambodia. She is venerated mainly as the guardian of coastal provinces of the country. She is venerated especially along the road from Phnom Penh to the sea port of Sihanoukville, as well as in Kampot, Koh Kong, and Kep. At the Bokor Mountain in Kampot there is a 29 meters tall monument to Yeay Mao inaugurated in 2012, while there is a young version of Yeay Mao in the Kep Beach called Beautiful Lady (ស្រីស្អាត) or Sela waits for her husband (សិលាចាំប្តី), but that belongs to the legend of Mao looking to the west for her lost husband. She is considered the protector of travelers, hunters, and fishermen. Drivers still stop at her shrine along National Road 4 near Phnom Pech Nil to pay their respects and wash their cars with water from the stream nearby, as well as the monument at Bokor. In 2023, after a surge of car accidents on the Phnom Penh- Preah Sihanouk’s expressway, the government decided to built a shrine for her at Sre Ambil station for travelers to stop along and pray.