រឿង បឹងយក្សឡោម - YEAK LORM LAKE - [Cambo Page - ខេមបូ ផេក]

YEAK LORM LAKE

Whenever we arrive at Yeak Lorm Lake, we are always curious to know the cause of this strange name at once. Such curiosity is leading to the inquiries for the origin of the lake's name related to the legend of the villagers. It is a strange legend which goes as follows:

The word "Yeak Lorm" is easily understood that the giants besiege. There are legends which have been told from one generation to another generation that:

Once upon a time, there lived the King of Giants with great magic power. The giant king had a beautiful daughter. She was more beautiful than other girls both her hair and physical body. Furthermore, her body always had good smell every day. Therefore, the King father named his daughter as “Neang Sork Kra ob" (A good- smelled- hair girl).

When she grew up, there was a powerful man going to console her for love. They both were afraid that the King father might be aware of their love, so they deserted to live far in a forest.

Later, the Giant King had been aware of his daughter's story. He was panicked and yelled very loudly. He collected his giant troops to fly and seek for his daughter.

When arrival at a jungle, he suspected that his daughter might have hidden herself there. Then he ordered his giant troops to besiege the jungle very firmly and ordered some giants to pull out the trees away, and they dug up and sought for her very where. Although the Giant King had tried his best to look for his daughter, he could not find out her. Then the Giant King ordered his troops to come back to this Kingdom.

AS the result of digging up by the giant troops to find Neang Sork Kraob, a lake had been found there in Ratanakiri Province. That was why this lake has been called "Yeak Lorm Lake until today. Yeak Lorm i a lake that has transparent water which is 70 meteps (leep in dry season. This lake is look like the bottom of a pan with the size of one-kilometer circle. Around the bank of the lake, there are many fruit trees such Mak Preng and Mak Prang trees (Marian plum tree), Rambutan trees, Semorn trees, Phniev trees, particularly Raing trees with flowers hanging down the water which are attracted for visiting.

Surrounding the lake, a very beautiful road has just been built by the Royal Cambodian Armed Forces. Thus we can go there by cars easily. There are Royal residence and small restaurants for guests as well. At present, the Royal Cambodian Arm Forces have arranged to build a new royal residence made of brick and concrete. There are many fish both small and big swimming in shoals. Visitors can travel round the lake because there is the road surrounding.

There is another legend which has similar meaning, too. The story was said that there were the giant troops who tracked the daughter of the giant King as the above story but there was different ending - as the giant troops besieged the mountain where she had hidden herself, she though that there would not be any means she could escape at all. Then she wished to be disappeared into the ground. At that time, the earth collapsed and also took her in. The place where the land had collapsed became a lake which had been called "Yeak Lorm Lake".

Another legend is far different from the two stories above. It is very likely to be the real story of villagers as well. It is said that the word "Yeak Lorm" was differently written and meant that the word "Yeak" derived from the word "Yak" in the traditional local language. It means chief or boss while the word "Lorm" is the name of a person.

Thus the words mean that there was a leader called "Lorm" who had controlled the mountain region. That is why the villagers assumed to call that place taking the name after that person and his position.

While researchers at the site found that this lake was a former whole of volcano in the ancient time and the volcano had been disappeared remaining the trace. That is why this lake is 70 - 80 meters deep and its shape is like an oval tray surrounding by mountains. Nowadays, this lake becomes one of the best attractive destinations for the tourists.

THE END