King Dambong—Battambong, Cambodia.
Posted by: 
Ianatlarge
N 13° 05.436 E 103° 12.516
48P E 305780 N 1447842
A statue to the legendary founder of the town of Battambang, Cambodia.
Waymark Code: WM9X47
Location: Cambodia
Date Posted: 10/08/2010
Views: 6
Here you will see a large (~10m high) statue of a 'black' man squatting, with a stick resting across his knees. This man was originally a peasant farmer, but desirous of becoming the King (ambition!) he found a magic stick, and with the aid of this stick, succeeded in overthrowing the king, and taking his place. There is a copy of a local publication with this story in full.
The statue is located on a traffic roundabout, to the east of the town, on the highway from Phnom Penh. There is a shrine area in front of the statue.
After speaking to several locals about this legend, there are more than a few variations, with, I infer, a degree of anti-monarchical sentiment. Not mentioned in the blurb is the reason why the man is black. So I was told: that while infiltrating the palace the man, Dambong, was at one time a cook. In need of a stick to stir the rice, he used his magic stick, which turned the rice black. Wishing not to be discovered Dambong ate the rice, which then turned him black!
At the end of his adventure Dambong throw the stick away, it became the lost stick. The word for lost in Khmer is 'bat' and stick is 'dambong', hence 'City of the Lost Stick'= Battambang (as it is rendered into English). This event is dated to 1,100 years ago, however, I am unsure as to the historicity of the event.
Time Period: Ancient
Approximate Date of Epic Period: 1,100 ago.
Epic Type: Mythical
Exhibit Type: Figure, Statue, 3D Art
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