រឿងភ្នំដោះក្រមុំ - PHNOM DOH KROMOM (FEMALE BREAST MOUNTAIN) - [Cambo Page - ខេមបូ ផេក]

PHNOM DOH KROMOM (FEMALE BREAST MOUNTAIN)

Phnom Doh Kromom (Female Breast Mountain) is located in Mondulkiri province where its south slope is adjacent to the airport. This mountain is covered by grass from the side to the top. The view of Phnom Doh Kromom is similar to many other mountains in Saen Monourom district and Ou Reang district of Mondolkiri province. Both Khmer Leuo people and Khmer Kandal living in Mondulkiri regard Phnom Doh Kromom as one of the sacred places and also as cultural Cambodian center.

The name Phnom Doh Kromom was given by a royal government officer, who was on a mission to manage the land area around the mountain in the late 1950s and early 1960s in order to form a new province that has been called Mondulkiri. Since French Colony period until 1961, this province had been known as Chloung Leu area, one of the districts in Kratie province. The mountain was named so because its appearance looked like the breasts of a virgin lying face up. This name has been known to Khmer people and Phnong ethnic minority (tribal people) residing in this province.

Because of strong belief in the sacredness of this mountain, Khmer Leuo and Khmer Kandal people living in Mondulkiri province had built a cottage and placed a rock as a symbol. Later that cottage had been replaced several times until a strong shed was built and a big sculpture curved from soap stone in Pursat province was placed on the mountain on 30 June 2004. That sculpture was called "Lok Ta Sros (Phnom Doh Kromom)". Phnom Doh Kromom is a pleasant place where people go to pray or to repay their prayer and enjoy the amazing view of the province and to get the fresh cool air.

It has been believed so as the legend of Phnom Doh Kromom was told as follows: There was a man whose name was Sros living in O'Tro village. Sros often visited his relatives in Trapeang Ambil and there he saw a woman named Phlom, who was a very beautiful girl. After seeing the girl, Sros felt in love with her, so he tried to contact her until they had love relationship.

Sros pled his parents to ask Phlom's parents for marrying her. Phlom's parents agreed to allow their daughter to marry Sros, but the date of the wedding could not be set unless the groom's side could afford the dowries to the bride's side, such as buffalos, cows, pigs, pots for wine and jewelry, etc. When Sros's family had sought all the dowries and Phlom's family had prepared to welcome the groom, it was the right time for harvesting rice.

Therefore their wedding was postponed since Phnong ethnic minority believed that everything had the soul. If rice had been harvested and put in the storage, but they had not prayed yet, the rice could not be husked for eating or using for the wedding because it would bring bad luck to the newly wedded couple. Thus they needed to pray to the rice's soul first.

On the day that Phlom's family was praying to the rice's soul in order to call for its spirits that lost in the forest because it was destroyed by the animal or arrested by the guardians of the forest mountains, ravines, valleys and steams, it was the day Phlom went to carry the water for household use.

Not seeing her back for too long, Phlom's parents were very SUSpICIOUS, because she went to carry water so long and still did not come back. They began to call for her everywhere and went to look for her at the place where she went to carry the water and then they found a water tin ( Kapha) and gourd used to keep water.

This news devastated Sros. However, they did not give up on searching for her. One day Sros went to cut bamboos next to two mountains, one was governed by the spirit of Lok Yay Chihov and the other by the spirit of Lok Yay Chihor. While seeing Sros was carrying the bamboos to put near the water fetching area, the two spirits told Phlom to meet her fiancé.

Sros was very surprised when meeting Phlom. She told Sros how much she missed him and also told him her life during her disappearance. She clarified that the two grannies had stopped her and asked her to govern the area here. At that moment, she asked Sros to stay with her. Sros was delighted and accepted her request.

After the disappearance of Phlom and the event of disappearance of Sros caused panic within the whole village. Therefore, they held a prayer ceremony. After praying, no one had disappeared.

When the farming season arrived, Sros's parents went to farm at Chihov Mountain and Chihor Mountain and they met Sros and Phlom there. They both said that they needed to govern the location around here. They told their mother and father and the villagers not to worry and if all of them had any trouble, they just held the prayer ceremony to the guardians of the area and the power of the mountains for happiness; they would get it as their wishes. Moreover, the two grannies advised them that from that day on, the villagers should call this mountain "Phnom Sros Phlom" (Sros Phlom Mountain).

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