Tonle Bati (Ta Prohm Temple)

Tonle Bati is a popular day-trip destination from Phnom Penh located about 33 kilometers to the south in Takeo province, combining a well-preserved Angkor-era temple complex with a scenic lakeside recreation area. The Ta Prohm temple at Tonle Bati, not to be confused with the more famous Ta Prohm at Angkor, was built during the reign of Jayavarman VII in the late 12th century on the foundations of an earlier 6th-century Khmer temple. The main sanctuary retains several remarkably preserved carved lintels and a rare in-situ stone narrative panel depicting scenes from the life of a royal couple. The adjacent Yeay Peau temple is a smaller ruined shrine with local legends attached to it. A large tree-fringed lake a short walk away is packed with Cambodian families picnicking and swimming on weekends.