រឿងភ្នំបាណន់ - PHNOM BANAN - [Cambo Page - ខេមបូ ផេក]

PHNOM BANAN

In the west of Sangkae River in Sankae district about more than 10 kilometers in the south-east of Battambang town, there is a mountain called as "Phnom Banan". It is sacred place where the villagers always celebrate traditional ceremonies. The legend related to this mountain goes as follows:

There was a millionaire who had a daughter called "Neang Rumsaysork". She always suffered from the menstrual disease for many years. Later there was a well-known hermit whose name was "Ta Kream”. He guaranteed to cure her health until she was healed. When she recovered from the disease, the millionaire married her to the hermit. The hermit instructed her to master various magic such as the magic to make tornado, etc ... The hermit and his wife lived in a cave known as Preah Teuk or Brateuk. This cave is located in the south of Phnom Banan nowadays. At that time Phnom Banan was called as "Phnom Prasat".

Afterwards, there was a prince whose name was Chao Reachkul. He came and learned other magic from Ta Kream. The hermit consented to train the prince until he had known everything. Because Neang Rumsaysork was very beautiful, the hermit prevented the prince from looking at her face, he was afraid that the prince would fall in love with his wife.

For months later, when the hermit was away, Chaov Reachkul peeked at his wife and felt that she was very much beautiful, the prince fell in love with her at once and asked her for love, she also loved the prince. One day when the hermit went into the forest to find the medical herbs and fruits, it was a good opportunity for his wife and the prince to escape from him. They both traveled by a large junk at that time. When the hermit came back, he didn't see both of them in the cave, he was aware that Chao Reachkul had abducted his wife, and then he chased after them until the seashore. He saw the junk was sailing far in middle of the sea.

The hermit was very angry and cast a spell to make tornado to destroy the junk in the sea but Neang Rumsaysork had leant the magic as well, so she made the storm pass away. While the hermit was so hurt that he fell down and passed away at the seashore. Knowing that they both returned to the cave of Phnom Brateuk to cohabit together.

Next, Chao Reachkul wished to meet his first wife at his hometown and he asked for permission from Neang Rumsaysork to pay a visit to his home and promised to come back very soon. After arriving at hometown for many days, Chao Reachkul intended to come back to live with Neang Rumsaysork. His first wife got very angry and ordered a crocodile called "Athorn" to block Chaov Reachkul from departure. While Neang Rumsaysork saw that her husband's junk was going to be sunk, she prayed to god who preserved Phnom Brasat, "Please, help my husband escape from this incident, then I will offer this mountain". With the power of her prayer, Neang Rumsaysork and her husband were safe and then they offered the mountain as to repay a prayer which was been answered.

Since then Phnom Prasat had been called as Phnom Bomnan but at present it is "Phnom Banan" instead. At the foot of the mountain, there is large cave which enables the people to go in easily. Its roof looks like the roof of the boat. There is a place of water dropping, a water filter like a stone mortar which is equal to the size of basket.

The cave is a square of about 12 meters side, there are no any sculptures on the walls but at the south of water filter, near the wall, there are many damaged statues of

Buddha. The sunlight goes into the cave through the hole on the root. The way into the cave is narrow, so it is very dark when a person comes in it. If we want to go in through that path, it is required to light the torch and walk in line in order to reach place of water dropping to villagers of Phnom sometimes the water in stone filter is full, and sometimes it is half.

It is said that if the water in the stone filter is full, the villagers will get much rice; and if the water is half, the villagers will be short of rice. The water in the filter is clear, and every people who go there, never miss to dip water with their hands to wash their face and head praying for good health and prosperity.

Every year on the occasion of Khmer New Year, villagers always celebrate ceremony at Phnom Banan. On the top of the mountain, other events are held such as Poun Phnom Ksach ( erect the sand hillock), offering food to monks, dancing, boxing and giving offering in kind of money or clothes to poor people. At the first day of New Year, they always pray to Tevada Chnam Thmey (New Year God) for happiness. This event sometimes this prayer is held by civil servants and sometimes by villagers.

If they forget to celebrate the prayer, there will be raining for three days of New Year, and villagers will suffer from the disease all over the villages. For the prayer event, there are Sla Thor, Baisei and music playing in tune of praying style. It is said that in the ancient time, whenever the music was played in tune of praying style, many crocodiles were seen to appear in Srah Tasen (Tasen pond) near the foot of Phnom Banan. The pond was very deep in the previous time, but now it is shallow, and when the payer IS celebrated, no crocodile is seen to appear in the pond.

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