A brief history of Cambodia and Kun Khmer, known at time as Kambuja or Kampuchea, is located in Southeast Asia between today Thailand, the Gulf of Thailand, Laos, and Vietnam. The people of Cambodia prefer to be called Khmer. According to scholar Khmer = Khorm or Khom – (noun) name uses for the Khmer ethnic or race. The ancient Khmer-Mon = Khorm = Khom was also the name of Arksor Tom Kach chhrung – Khmer ancient script (Literature) [Samdech Chun Nath, 1967]. The country is known to Khmer as Kampuchea or Srok Khmer as oppose to the present day Cambodia. But Cambodia is a well know to the world community.
figure 1
According the historians and Scholars of Ancient Khmer, the Khmer evolved from the Khmer-Mon ethnic group. The Khmer-Mon inhabited the entire peninsula of Indochina. This region called Sovanna Phum (translated as golden country). The word sovann is a Pali meaning "gold", and phum meaning "land or country." The inhabitants of Sovanna Phum belonged to the ethnic groups of the Mon, the Cham and the Khmer. The Khmer dynasty has broken down to three major eras of Nokor Phnom (Funan), Chenla and the Moha Nokor (Angkor period) between the 9th and 12th centuries.
The Nokor Phnom (Funan) Period 1st - 6th century
The first Khmer state called Funan, a pre-Angkor and it was an Indianized Khmer kingdom located around the Mekong Delta. The earlier Khmer civilization was dominated by the Hindu which melts in with existing of the Khmer-Mon origin of Phai Bey GEE religion. The culture was a mixture of native beliefs and Indian idea. Sanskrit was the language at the court. Khmer Kingdom of Nokor Phnom (modern historian refer to it as Chinese pronunciation of Funan), the oldest pre-Angkor indianized kingdom, started about 5th century in the Mekong Delta. Though it was very little has been written about the early kingdom.
The Chenla Period 6th - 8th century
Chenla was an early Khmer kingdom. It claimed independent and eventually conquered the Funan, absorbed its people, the Khmer-Mon and culture. The Chenla later devided into northern and southern states known as Chenla of the land and Chenla of the Sea. See map below.
The Moha Nokor - Angkorean Period 8th - 13th century (also known as Khmer Empire)
Zhenla (Chenla) make up the Moha Nokor (the Angkorean era) from 802-1431. When the three civilizations had reached its peak, it’s leaving rich culture, heritages and arts to later generation of the Khmer, who lived and scattered all over the Sovanna Phum.
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The greatest monuments built which symbolize of the Kru Pram mythology, even though the Khmer were practicing the Hindu, hence Kompol Pram (the fives towers represent the five elements.) The mighty Khmer warriors fought and conquered from north to south east to west expanding the territories and built the most magnificent monuments on every corner that the ancient angkorean warriors put their feet on through out the Sovanna Phum.
Various Angkorean Weapons (used to construct the Khmer Civilization)
figure 2 - Khmer Warriors's weapon - Lompang - Spear
figure 3 - Khmer Warriors's weapon - Dha or Dao - Swords
figure 4 - Khmer Warriors's weapon - Tnoo - Bows and Arrows
figure 5 - Khmer Warriors's weapon - Phkap
(Image from The Armies of Angkor - Military Structure and Weaponary of the Khmers, 2008)
To understand further of KBACH KUN BORAN KHMER, one must not over look at the ancient Khmer architectural temple in the north-eastern of Thailand, calls “Issan” in Thailand, where 60% of the population main language is Khmer. This location called Nokor Reashama. Politically belong to Thailand but the ancient Angkorian cultural of Khmer.
The Thai people received and adopted major arts and culture from the Ancient Khmer, including the KBACH KUN BORAN KHMER with some claims as “Muay BORAN”. In addition to arts, much like the KBACH KUN BORAN KHMER, the Thai also adopted the pre-Thai scripts and spoken words from the Khmer native language which they are still using today. The Thai alphabet is derived from the Khmer alphabet. The Thai adopted and modified Khmer script to create their own writing system. While the oldest known inscription in the Khmer language dates from 611 CE, while the Thai writing began to appear around 1292 CE.
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References
Keng Vansak (2007) Interview with Radio Free Asia, "Khmer."
Pan, Kang 1971 Kbuon Veta Mun. 1st Ed. Boran Vichea.
Samdech Chun Nath Institute Boudhaique 1967 Dinctionnaire Cambodgien. 5th Ed. Edition De L’Institute Bouddhique.
Sok, Meas (2008) Kbach Kun L'Bokatao Khmer.
http://www.kohsantepheapdaily.com.kh/khmerbox.htm [view 2008]
Lo, Lawrence (1996) Khmer.
http://www.ancientscripts.com/khmer.html [viewed 02/17/2009].