Battambang Province or Khet Battambang

Battambang actually means losing stick in Khmer, and this province has has its own story as mention below:

Once upon a time, Kampuchea (Cambodia) faces wars with neighboring countries. Many enemies invade the villages at the west of Kampuchea. One day, enemies kill many people, even women and children. There’s a pregnant woman whose belly is stabbed can escape from those enemies. When she delivers a birth, her son's legs become disable because of stabbing. Where he goes, he has to crawl because he can not use his feet as the usual person.

When he grows up, he hears there’s a holy man who has stick (Dambang Kronhoung). Many people call him Ta Dambang Kronhoung.

Ta Dambang Kronhoung one day visits a community at the west of Kampuchea where the disable man has lived since he was born. Many people come to appreciate him. The disable man also wants to see Ta Dambang Kronhoung, but his handicap does not offer him any convenience. However, he tries his best by moving one by one crossing the quiet forest to see the holy man, or he can lost chance to see him in his whole life.

While the disable is taking a rest, an angel pretends to be a normal person and brings a horse and clothe to the disable. He tells the disable man that he wants to keep house and clothes with the disable. The disable man hopes the property owner comes to get his horse and clothe back, so he decides to keep for him.

The sun almost sets, but the property owner does not come back to get his horse and clothe yet. The disable can not wait any more because he’s afraid he can not see the holy man. So he decides to take the clothes on and get on the horse. After the disable can get on his back, the magic horse forwards very fast to the crowd of the people.

As soon as the magic house sees the crowd, he flies over those people, even Ta Dambang Kronhoung. People change their attention to the disable who is on the horse and scream; "there’s another holy man!"

Ta Dambang Kronhoung is very angry while his popularity gets lost after the appearance of the disable. He picks up his Dambang Kronhoung and throws to the horse in order to shoot the disable down.

Ta Dambang Kronhoung's intention can not succeed because his Dambang Kronhoung can not hit the disable. Unfortunately, he loses his Dambang Kronhoung. He orders many people to find his Dambang Kronhoung, but nobody can find it. People have called the place where Ta Dambang Kronhoung loses his stick Battambang or Losing stick. Now it becomes a name of a western province of Kampuchea. Ta Dambang Kronhoung is later on created as as statue representing the man who names Battambang province.

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