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OUDONG CITY [Cambo Time - Fairy Tales]

 From the words of mouth, there was a King accompanying his pregnant wife to visit the forest. Meanwhile, she was in labor and about to give birth. She brought her husband a bit further from their subjects. She, then, delivered an egg. Having seen that, the King and the Queen felt ashamed with their people, therefore they buried the egg in the forest. They sadly returned to the palace.


Talking about a hunter named YEUNG, he was a royal hunter. One day, he went to hunt with his dog in the forest. When they arrived at the place where the King buried his egg, the dog barked and dug the egg up. The hunter saw a big strange egg; he decided to take the egg home.

When mature, an adorable baby boy hatched from the egg. The hunter decided to adopt the baby and named him CHAO BRAMANH (The Hunter). The baby boy grew up as the most handsome and good-looking man.

Let's forget about hunter YEUNG for a while, talking about TA DONG YEAY GIEY, they had a daughter named TROCHEL. She was the most beautiful lady. She was as lovely as an angel. TA DONG YEAY CHEY built their house on a high hill with water surrounding in order to prevent men from entering their shelter.

TA DONG YEAY CHEY had a sister named TEIN living in SRE RONONG village. They often took their daughter to visit her house. When visiting, TROCHEL was complemented that she had graceful walk as "NHENG NHANG" when she walked and carried the pot. This village was called "NHENG NHANG" village later on. Every time, she took a bath at a well, she was complimented that she had purely white skin. Then this commune was called KOUS commune until now.

One day, TA DONG YEAY CHEY took their daughter to visit TEIN's house again. On their way there, they ran into hunter VEUNG and CHAO BRAMANH who were hunting in the forest. TA DONG YEAY CHEY and YEUNG had greeted each other because they were acquaintance. CHAO BRAMANH and TROCHEL glanced at each other continuously and they fell in love deeply with each other. TA DONG YEAY CHEY also liked that young man.

Since then, CHAO BRAMANH often came to see her every time she visited her aunt. One day, when her parents were very busy, she came to her aunt’s house without her parent's knowledge. There was a King who stopped over at Bantey Longvek. e was riding a horse when he saw her walking alone in the forest, he suddenly got off the horse and enticed her for her love. The place where the King met TROCHEL was called" BROTAS NEANG" jungle and today it is called "BROTAS LANG".


TROCHEL was very frightened and did not respond to the King. She ran away backward. The King and his subjects chased after her immediately. Due to tiredness, she rested at a small hill in that jungle and prayed that, "If I am truly CHAO BRAMANH's destined soul mate; I shall hide myself with this small hill." After her worship, she could hide herself there.

The King and his subjects could not find her. The King consulted with his subjects. One of the subjects said, "It is unbelievable that this beautiful lady can hide with this small hill. Therefore, God may help her". Another subject said, "If your majesty loves her, you can propose to her parent following our traditional practice". After listening to his subjects, the King went back to his lodge. Since then, the small hill was called "MEAN LEAK" small hill. Later the villagers also built a pagoda named "DOM BOK MEAN LEAK" in the Tomnop Thorn Commune, Ponhear Lueu District, Kandal Province.

After the King left, TROCHEL went home. She told her parents what happened to her, and also about her love with CHAO BRAMANH. The royal knight sought TROCHEL everywhere, but they could not find her. The King gathered all his subjects and ordered them to organize a boat race in the hope that he would see her when lots of people carne to see boat race. On the racing day, the villagers crowded in the road. As for TA DONG YEAY CHEY, they also took their daughter to see the boat race. The crowd looked at TROCHEL and praised for her beauty. The praise was widely spread to the knights who were finding her. The knight followed them until they reached their house. Then the prince was informed.

The King went to TA DONG YEAY CHEY's house. He proposed to her parent for the marriage with TROCHEL straight forwards. The prince also said: "You could request any dowry, I can do anything". Ta and Yeay also consulted with their daught r. Hower denied the proposal “I would rather die with my love, CHAO BRAMANH, than marrying the King."

After the father heard his daughter's denial, he discussed with hiswife, "If we didn't allow our daughter marry the King, we will have trouble in the future. However, if we agree to marry her to the King, we feel pity on her as she loves CHAO BRAMANH very much and so do we." YEAY added, "So that we should request the King a great amount of thing." After having finished their discussion, TA and YEAY told the King, "May you completely build the road from your lodge to our house only in one night. If it can't be completed, we won't allow our daughter marry you." After hearing their request, the King thought that this was a great burden, but he agreed with TA DONG YEAY CHEY because he was a benign king, and He loved her so much.

The King then called all his soldiers to come together and ordered them to complete constructing the road from his lodge to the house of OUY DONG MER CHEY in one night. Ordong District nowadays was named when the King first called OUY DONG MEAN CHEY.

Later it was called Ouvdong Meanchey. At that time, the soldiers had built the road until morning; however, that road did not meet. That gap was called "Tnal Dach Village" in Banteay Lorngvek, Kompong Tralach District, Kompong Chnang Province. In the early morning, TA DONG YEAY CHEY brought their family to board a boat to see if the road was completely built only in one night or not. If it was completed, they would escape with their daughter. After seeing that the road was not completed, they felt cheerful and immediately pushed their boat away. When the King arrived and saw TA DONG YEAY CHEY's boat went far away, he thought that TA DONG YEAY CHEY might be disappointed with him for the uncompleted road, therefore they did not wait to meet him.

The King assigned four soldiers to plea TA DONG YEAY CHEY and asked them for their daughter to be the King's concubine. The soldiers did plea TA DONG YEAY CHEY as the King's order. At that time, ROCHEL kneeled and plead those soldiers saying that "I disagree to be the King's concubine because I am a daughter of a simple family. If the King still forces me, I will commit suicide." Meanwhile, TA DONG YEA Y CHEY quickly pleads those soldiers, "Please tell the King not hurry, tell him to wait until I comfortably persuade my daughter". The soldier returned after heard that.

At night, TA DONG YEAY CHEY brought their daughter to temporarily hide at NEANG TEIN’s house and told her to inform Hunter VEUNG to choose a good time for the wedding of their children. After leaving the message, Ta and Yeay came back to their house and tried to make an excuse to the King. After getting the message from her brother, NEANG TEIN called Hunter VEUNG and CHAO BRAMANH to propose her niece for marriage. Then they asked a clergy to find a good time for the wedding. Then, they informed TA DONG YEAY CHEY about their daughter's wedding.

On the wedding day, TA DONG YEAY CHEY secretly walked through shortcut across the forest, worrying that the King may go after them. As they worried too much, they both got lost in the forest and could not find NEANG TIEN's house.

Meanwhile, TA and YEAY met a cowherd boy and then they asked that boy, "Hey, boy! Where is the road to Traing? To Vaing Pounlus? To Kous? To Sre Ronong? Because the boy wanted offerings and crowd, he answered to them, "If you want to find out the road as you wished, please go to pray to mountainous tutelary spirit with offerings and nine songs of traditional music." As the boy said so, they hurried climbing the mountain in order to pray to the tutelary spirit immediately. When climbing down, they could find the way to the wedding house. Then, they returned to offer food and play traditional music to mountainous tutelary spirit.

Back to the King who was staying in the lodge at Banteay Lourngverk, when knowing about this problem, he traveled with his soldiers to NEANG TEIN's house, seeing TROCHEL and CHAO BRAMANH was marrying. In the meanwhile, he saw the couple was beautifully suited with each other so that he allowed the couple to marry completely. Then, he called the parent of groom and bride as well as the couple to meet him. They all were very frightened. The King asked CHAO BRAMANH, "CHAO BRAMANH, who is your parents? How dare you marry my fiancee? CHAO BRAMANH answered, "I am a son of Hunter VEUNG."

The King saw that Hunter VEUNG is his hunter so that he asked, "Where did you get this son from? How come I don't know about that?"

Hunter VEUNG frighteningly bowed his head to salute the King and answered, "He is not my son; he is my adopted son. II Hunter VEUNG told the King the entire story and pointed to CHAO BRAMANH who is bowing in front of the King.

At that time, the King immediately rushed to hug CHAO BRAMANH and said, “My dear son! I am your real father.” The King told the entire story to everyone. Then the King appointed his soldiers to escort his son and TROCHEL to come into the palace in order to crown him as a King after him since then.

“Precaution is better than risk-talking”



- The END -

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