Short History of Cambodia - Nokor Funan
By Kee
February 2004

You have read the introduction I posted earlier and here is the second segment. It briefly takes you back to the earliest period of Khmer history when Nokor Funan started 2000 years ago. This is the pre-Angkor era. The history of Funan is based largely on Chinese records because our ancestors did not leave solid facts behind. Chinese sent their ambassadors to Funan and documented important events that help us understand our own ancient history. I would like to thank B. Ang from the Politics forum for searching and providing the map of Funan.

The history begins.

The land of what is now known as Cambodia was settled by many inhabitants dated back to the pre-Angkor era 5000 years before Christ (BC) during the Neolithic age. There is little known information about their origins and where they came from, but according to ceramics and stone tools they used, we know they existed during those ancient periods. Many tribes came to develop small kingdoms within the region.

However, the history of Cambodia did not begin until around the first century Anno Domini (AD) when a kingdom called Funan emerged. The name Funan is a Chinese term meaning “mountain” or phnom in modern Khmer. It started in the southern part of Cambodia at Phnom Da, situated in Angkor Borei district, Takeo Province. This is the oldest historical site in Cambodia. Phnom Da was the former capital of Funan, which is about 100 kilometers from the modern capital city Phnom Penh.

According to legend, an Indian prince named Preah Tong or Kaundinya left India, sailing away from his country according to his dream and found a holy island with a tree on it. He met a princess named Soma, who was a “naga” or serpent. Her father was the King of the Naga. Preah Tong fell in love with princess Soma. With no objection, the Naga King allowed his daughter to marry Preah Tong. To honor the wedding of his daughter, the king drank up all the waters surrounding the holy island and gave the territory to the couple as a gift.

This story was circulated during the 6th century by the Chinese and later by the Chams. In Khmer, Funan is known with several names. One is Koh Kok Thlork. Koh refers to island, Kok means dry, as water has receded, and Thlork means odd for there was only one single tree on the island. Another name is Nokor Kok Thlork. Nokor means country. Funan is also known as Nokor Phnom because it started at Phnom Da, a hill in Angkor Borei.

When one speaks of the beginning of Khmer history, one cannot avoid the legendary tale of prince Kaundinya and princess Soma. However, this is only a myth and there is no historical fact to it. It is, however, accepted that Soma was an indigenous leader of one of the many tribes who settled in the region. During that period, some tribes allowed women to govern. She was married to an Indian Brahmin and the family ruled the kingdom. Khmer kings before the 9th century claimed to be descendents of this couple. Today, Soma is called Preah Niang Livyee and Kaundinya is generally referred to as Preah Batt Kau Dyne, although the name Preah Tong is still used.

Geographically, the Funan kingdom centered at the rich Mekong Delta. It stretched from the south sea in South Vietnam to modern Laos on the north, from Champa (Vietnam) on the east to the Bay of Bengal on the west. This means the entire South Vietnam today was under the control of Funan. Most northern parts of the Malay Peninsular and southern parts of Thailand were also under Funan’s control during its height of power in the 5th century AD. [See map].

The Chinese annals tell us that the people of Funan possessed much power and were not afraid to exert this authority to other inhabitants in nearby cities. Those who did not pay tributes were forced to become their slaves.

One Funan king known as Fan Che-Man in Chinese or Srei Rama in Khmer, was very powerful from around 205 AD to 225 AD. He conquered and defeated his neighboring kingdoms; all became the vassal states of Funan. Srei Rama built large ships and led his army crossing the open sea waters to conquer over ten kingdoms. His territory was extended about 1,500 miles under his rule. He fell ill and could not conquer another country he wished to subdue. His son succeeded the throne but was killed by his cousin.

The Funan kingdom was advanced and well respected throughout Asia, according to the Chinese records. The king traveled by elephant. For their free time, the Funanese enjoyed watching rooster and pig fights as entertainment. They wore gold rings and bracelets, and even turned silver into dishes. Gold, silver, and silk were their merchandises. The Funanese had already possessed knowledge in metal works. They had a judicial system, libraries, and even taxation system. K’ang T’si, a Chinese ambassador who visited Funan around 245 AD, gave a description of Funan as a wealthy kingdom that the people paid their taxes using gold and jewelries.

Funan was a maritime state because its people enjoyed doing sea trades. Artifacts from excavation at Oc Eo in Vietnam indicate that the Funanese were active in sea trades with India, China, Persia (Iran) and the Roman Empire in the west. The main sea port was located at Oc Eo in South Vietnam today, which was under the control of Funan. The Funanese were the people with minds skilled in trades. They crossed huge sea waters and regulated trades between China and India.

The Funanese adopted culture such as thinking, knowledge, philosophy, and religious beliefs including Hinduism and Buddhism from the Indian Kalinga’s dynasty. They also practiced Animism or Neakta. However, Hinduism became the state religion because there were more followers. Funan kings invited many Indian high caste Brahmins to the courts to help them with the administration. In addition to sea trades and cultural adaptation, the people of Funan also learned the engineering skills of water irrigation from the Indians. They were active in agriculture and utilized the Mekong Delta by bringing water for agricultural activities such as rice crops.

Stone carving was also part of art that the Funanese learned from the Indians. They were influenced by the Indian civilization in religious and political structures. However, this so-called “Indianization” was only partial and did not penetrate deep into the Funanese life. They still maintained their own culture.

There is a small temple on Phnom Da, believed to be built by Funan king Rudravarman around the 6th century AD. Facing north, this temple has no walls and the sculptures depict the Indian Vishnu gods. Five statues at the mountain valley express Phnom Da style. There are also five caves. To the southwest of Phnom Da about 500 meters away, there is another sandstone temple with one door and five windows. This temple also faces north and it is named Asrom Moha Ey Sey, refuge of ascetics, from the Indian style.

The earliest writing language found to be used was the Indian sacred language called Sanskrit during the Funan time. The language was carved in stones and dated around the 5th and the 6th century. It was not known when, but later on, the Khmer people had their language derived from Sanskrit with many characters. The Khmer people knew how to write. They wrote on leaves and animal skins. But these never survived due to decomposition over time. Only the stone inscriptions remained. During the Wu dynasty, Chinese officials invited two Cambodian Buddhist monks to translate Khmer writing into Sanskrit for the Mahayana Buddhism, which was practiced then.

Meanwhile, as the Funan Empire continued in the 7th century, one of its vassal states known as Chenla in the northern part of the country became increasingly powerful. Around 550 AD, Chenla got full independence from Funan, but 60 years later, it defeated Funan and conquered the empire. In 613 AD, Chenla completely absorbed Funan under its control.

There is no clear evidence indicating why Funan was weakening. But it is believed that the internal wars for dynastic powers caused the weakening of their empire. The royal family escaped to Java (Indonesia) and lived there in obscurity. However, they later established a powerful dynasty known as the Sailendra Dynasty at the Middle Java. The title “Sailendra” means “king of the mountain.”

The Sailendras built a beautiful Buddhist temple complex known as Borobudur in Java between 778 and 824 AD. This temple still stands today. During its peak, the Sailendra Dynasty ruled most Java, Bali, Lombok, Kalimantan’s coastal areas, and southern Sulawesi.

A young prince named Patapan of the nearby Sanjaya Dynasty came in 832 to steal the throne and the Sailendra Dynasty came to a stop. However, its infant prince named Balaputra was hidden in the forest. In 850 AD when he turned 18, prince Balaputra made an attempt to regain his parents’ Sailendra throne, but he was unsuccessful. He escaped to Sri Vijaya kingdom and later took the throne there without difficulty. Sri Vijaya at that time had its capital located in Palembang, which is the southern coast of Sumatra.

As a result, the Funan royal family line continued and it still exists today “in the blood of the various royal families of Java, Sumatra and Malaysia.” Today, the people and sultans of Malaysia and Indonesia consider the Cambodian kings from the Funan period as their ancestors.

Although Funan ceased to exist after about 600 years as an empire until 613 AD, it had laid a fruitful foundation for the next Khmer empire, the Chenla kingdom, which is mentioned in the next segment.

Like s/he said we didn't leave written history and it was the Chinese who did, so I personally can't say it all of it all since it in thier view, esp. calling us savages and ugly.

-2-: Anyone,

Do you have a picture of Phnom Da. I would like to see how the temple look like

Thanks in advance

Phnom Da:









Kinda small, nothing spectacular.

class post!

this is interesting - there's an animation that depicts this in the khmer chat

very intresting - Khmer genes all over South East Asia.

Wat Phu Champasak, Laos

Considered the most sacred religious site in Southern Laos, the temple site of Wat Phu Champasak dates back to the Chenla Period (6th to 8th centuries) and was later part of the Khmer Angkor Empire (9th to 13th centuries). Although the surviving structures are not as grand as those near Siem Reap, Cambodia, the surrounding countryside makes a visit to Wat Phu well worth a stop for serious temple buffs and casual travelers alike. Situated at the base of Phu Pasak (Pasak Mountain), Wat Phu ascends in three levels up the side of the mountain to the main temple sanctuary commanding breathtaking views of the countryside. Historians believe that this site was chosen by the Khmers because of a natural spring that flows from near the top of the mountain and also because the peak of Phu Pasak resembles a Shiva phallus. The temple site is located 8km southwest of the tiny village of Champasak and we feel that the best way to visit the site is by bicycle. This allows the traveler the opportunity to see rural Lao villagers engaging in their daily activities on the leisurely ride to the temple site. Traveling by bicycles also allowed us to spot hidden treasures along the way that most people speed by in the back of a jumbo (a local form of transportation, such as this wonderful Buddha image embedded in a tree.


http://www.blurrytravel.com/sea2003/journa...3/05282003.html

so does this mean lao people were the first origin of southeast asia and the first inhabitant

Khun Borom Rachathirath is the legendary progenitor of the Tai-speaking peoples, considered by the Lao and others to be the father of their race.


Mythology
According to the myth of Khun Borom, commonly related among the Lao, people in ancient times were wicked and crude. A great deity destroyed them with a flood, leaving only three worthy chiefs who were preserved in heaven to be the founders and guides for a new race of people. The deity sent the three chiefs back to the earth with a buffalo to help them till the land. The chiefs and the buffalo arrived in the land of Muang Then (believed to be present-day Dien Bien Phu in Vietnam). Once the land had been prepared for rice cultivation, the buffalo died and a gourd vine grew from his nostril. From the gourds on the vine, the new human race emerged- relatively dark-skinned aborigonal peoples emerging from gourds cut open with a hot poker, and the lighter skinned Lao emerging from cuts made with a chisel.

The gods then taught the Tai people how to build houses and cultivate rice. They were instructed in proper rituals and behaviour, and grew prosperous. As their population grew, they needed aid in governing their relations and resolving disputes. The chief god sent his son, Khun Borom, to be the ruler of the Tai people. Khun Borom ruled the Tai people for 25 years, teaching them to use new tools and other arts. After this quarter-century span, Khun Borom divided the Tai kingdom among his seven sons, giving each one of them a portion of the kingdom to rule. The eldest son, Khun Lo, was given the kingdom of Muang Sua- modern day Luang Prabang. Other sons was given the kingdoms of Siang Khwang, Ayutthaya, Chiang Mai, Sipsong Pan Na (Southern Yunnan, China), Hamsavati (a Mon state in modern-day Myanmar), and an unknown area apparently in north-central Vietnam, sometimes identified with Nghe-an province.


Scholarship
Some interpreters of the story of Khun Borom believe that it describes Tai-speaking peoples arriving in Southeast Asia from China (mythically identified with heaven, from which the Tai chiefs emerge after the flood). The system of dividing and expanding a kingdom in order to provide for the sons of a ruler agrees in general with the apparent organization and succession practices of ancient Tai village groups, called mueang.

Khun Bourom Maharasa dynasty - The great King of the Nan Chao (Ai Lao) Empire Khun Bourom had 9 sons and 7 of them became king in different kingdom in the area of so called "Lamthong": "Khun Lor" ruled Moung Sawa (Sua), (LuangPhrabang, Laos) "Khun Palanh" ruled SipsongPanna, (China) "Khun Chusong" ruled TungKea, (Muang HuaoPhanh to Tonkin, Vietnam) "Khun Saiphong" ruled Lanna, (ChiengMai, Thailand) "Khun Ngua In" ruled Ayuthaya, (Thailand) "Khun Lok khom" ruled Moung Hongsa (Inthaputh), (Shan state, Burma) "Khun ChetCheang" ruled Moung Phuan, (XiengKhouang, Laos)

There were 19 Kings after Khun Loor that ruled Muang Sawa(Sua). The last one was Khun Vaang. After his death, his son who was named "Lang" took the throne and was then named "King Langthirath". After King Langthirath died, his son (Thao Khamphong) was crowned as "King Souvanna Khamphong." After King Souvanna Khamphong died, his son "Chao Fifah" or "Khamhiao" took the throne. Chao Fifah (Khamhiao) had 6 sons and one of them was "Chao FaNgum". King FaNgum was the creator of the Lan Xang Kingdom during his reign in the 13th century.

Both King Mengrai of Chiang Mai and U-Thong of Ayutthaya is said to have come from Khum Borom Lao Dynasty.

Scholar David K. Wyatt believes that the Khun Borom myth may provide insight into the early history of the Tai people in Southeast Asia. Versions of the Khun Borom myth occur as early as 698 CE in Siang Khwang, and identify Tai-speaking kingdoms that would be formally established years later. This may provide an indication of the early degree of geographical spread found in Tai-speaking peoples, and provides a mythological explanation for why modern Tai-speaking peoples are found in such widespread pockets. Linguistic analysis indicates that the division of the early Tai speakers into the language groups that gave rise to modern Thai, Lao and other languages occurred sometime between the 7th and 11th Centuries CE. This split proceeded along geographic lines very similar to the division given in the Khun Borom legend, and left the original area of occupation of the Tai people- in Vietnam, in the vicinity of Dien Bien Phu- occupied by speakers from linguistic groups that may have already diverged earlier in history.


Sources
Wyatt, David K., Thailand: A Short History, New Haven (Yale University Press), 2003. ISBN 0-300-08475-7

elephantking



Joined: Jul 26, 2005
Posts: 1362

Posted: Sun Nov 19, 2006 8:41 pm Post subject:

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ancient kingdom of Southeast Asia that flourished from the 6th to the 13th century. It was the first Mon kingdom established in what is now Thailand and played an important role as a propagator of Indian culture. Situated in the lower Chao Phraya River valley, Dvaravati extended westward to the Tenasserim Yoma (mountains) and southward to the Isthmus of Kra.

The Mon, who…


Dvaravati... (75 of 355 words)


Dvaravati
ancient kingdom of Southeast Asia that flourished from the 6th to the 13th century. It was the first Mon kingdom established in what is now Thailand and played an important role as a propagator of Indian culture. Situated in the lower Chao Phraya River valley, Dvaravati extended westward to the Tenasserim Yoma (mountains) and southward to the Isthmus of Kra.
> Dvaravati Mon kingdom: 6th to 11th century
from the arts, Southeast Asian article
Archaeology has recovered in central Thailand substantial glimpses of the magnificent early layer of Indianized culture, which includes a religious art that was produced between the 6th and 11th centuries by the eastern Mon kingdom of Dvaravati. The art was created predominantly to serve Theravada Buddhism. Remains of Dvaravati architecture so far excavated include stupa ...
> Haripunjaya
an ancient Mon kingdom centred in the Mae Nam (river) Ping Valley in northwestern Thailand. It was founded in the mid-7th century by a queen of Lopburi, the capital of the Mon Dvaravati kingdom to the south. Although originally established as a colony of Dvaravati, Haripunjaya maintained its independence and its own ruling dynasties as a member of a loose confederation ...
> Dwarka
town, southwestern Gujarat state, west-central India. It lies on the western shore of the Okhamandal Peninsula, a small western extension of the Kathiawar Peninsula. Dwarka, or the “City of Many Gates” (Sanskrit: Dvaraka, or Dvaravati), is also known as Jagat, or Jigat. Dwarka was the legendary capital of the god Krishna, who founded it after his flight from Mathura. Its ...
> Mon language
Mon-Khmer language spoken by the Mon people of southeastern Myanmar (Lower Burma) and several Mon communities in Thailand. The oldest inscriptions, dating from the 6th century, are found in central Thailand in archaeological sites associated with the Dvaravati kingdom. Numerous Old Mon inscriptions date from the later Mon kingdoms of Thaton and Pegu. The Old Mon ...


http://www.britannica.com/eb/article-9031641/Dvaravati

Here you go kid . Go buy the book yourself.


elephantking



Joined: Jul 26, 2005
Posts: 1362

Posted: Sun Nov 19, 2006 8:44 pm Post subject:

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Dvaravati art refers to the art style that dominated in Thailand during 7th – 11th C before the arrival of the Khmers and later the Tai. Dvaravati also refers to the Mon communities that ruled what is now Thailand. Nakhon Pathom, Khu Bua and U Thong in Central Thailand are important sites for Dvaravati art and architecture. The art objects are of Hinayana Buddhist, Mahayana Buddhist and Hindu religious subjects. Objects are stone sculpture, stucco, terra cotta and bronze.

The style is influenced from India, Amaravati [ South India ] and Gupta and post-Gupta prototypes [ 4th – 8th C in India ] but have local elements to reflect southeast asian facial features. The distinctive Dvaravati sculpture is that of the Wheel of Law found throughout the Dvaravati Kingdom. These symbols of the Buddha's first sermon were erected on high pillars and placed in temple compounds. Today good examples can be seen at the National Museum Bangkok.

This period marked the beginning of the various art styles. In India Buddhist clerics introduced 32 features to be included in any representation of the Buddha so that all his images should not be confused with those of ordinary people but be instantly recognizable as the Buddha. He is portrayed as superior to ordinary men with profound spiritual purity conquering physical desire by the mind and showing the aura of inner peace.

In contrast the crafting of images of the Hindu Gods, Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva who were super humans radiating power required different images. They were accorded kingly status, crowned and adorned with jewels and given strong and beautiful faces.

These Gods showed strength, radiated power and masculine vigor. The consorts to these Gods were the embodiment of feminine grace and sweetness. In these times art had to capture the intangible, invisible gods and translate their themes into figures of stone or bronze. In doing so they were guided by rules devised in India.

The best locations to see Dvaravati art

The best locations to see Dvaravati art are The National Museum Bangkok, the James Thompson Museum in Bangkok and the National Museum U Tong.

Mon Dvaravati art has been found as far south as Yalang ancient city in Pattani,as far north as in Srithep in Petchabun, and as far east as Fa Dad Sung Yang in Kalasin and Sema in Nakhon Rachasima.

There are three forms, sculpture for decorating holy places, architecture and utensils. Early art had indian faces but later became more indigenous looking. The sculptures for decorating holy places were made of stucco, baked and raw clay. Paintings were also popular and were of people, dwarfs and animals, particularly, lions. Samples of these works are on display at all regional National Museums.

http://www.thailandsworld.com/index.cfm?p=184


Joined: Jul 26, 2005
Posts: 1362

Posted: Sun Nov 19, 2006 8:36 pm Post subject:

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NokSyhavong wrote:
Okay none of you are fu-kin historians. Find me a book that backs all your $hit up. Until then, its just bull$hit.

Some people need to get the stick out of their @$$ about the "Siamese" and who got what from who.

Elephant king reply:

Let me tell you something little homie. I am way beyong a historian like the sky comparing to the land. YOu don't know me personally. You don't know who I am. Everything that I post I back up with evidence kid. I back it up with solid evidence that could never be burnt or wiped out. I even post the UNESCO office location online so if people had a question regarding my post they can contact that office for more infomation. Why would you need a book when you are the person who put information to make a book. You need to pull a stick out of your @$$ little kid. I know your uncle that comes online too . The reason why I put information online is for lao people around the world. The information that I have ,you will never find in this world unless I give it out that is why I don't post my picture online. Nobody in this world will know more about Settatiraths personally life and the great Teacher from Mon Dvaravati over 1500 years besides me. Reading my post is like hearing from the person that was there in that time kid. Do you even know any thing about groong thep Davaravati Sri Ayodhaya to even question my knowledge? Why don't you tell me about the history that your know so I can prove it wrong or right will solid evidence and living evidence.

Before history are written into books the researcher has to do research. The way that they do research is study music, culture, folklores, language, the cloth in dressing and even food that the people eat and then some excavation.


This lao guy says lao was the origin of southeast asia from lao hub.com


elephantking



Joined: Jul 26, 2005
Posts: 1362

Posted: Sun Nov 19, 2006 8:47 pm Post subject:

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Pre-Angkor: Funan | Chenla | Java Invasion | Birth of Angkor

Chenla (called by Chinese or "Kambuja" by Khmer) was a more direct ancestor of the Khmer Empire. Its history first appear in the Chinese Chronicles as a Funan's vassal state who gained its independence from Funan around the year 550 A.D. Within the next 60 years, Chenla succeeded to conquer its predecessor the Funan, and gradually absorbed its people as well as inherited the Indian cultures.

The first capital of Chenla, named Isanapura, was established around 613 A.D. at Sambor Prei Kuk in Kompong Thom province of modern Cambodia.

Later on Chenla was divided into northern and southern states, of which the Chinese Chronicles refers to as "Chenla of the Land" and "Chenla of the Sea", respectively. The center of the northern Chenla was at the Champassak province of today southern Laos, whereas that of the Southern Chenla occupied the former Funan's territory along the Mekong Delta and the coast. In 715, both Chenla states were further broken up into several smaller states.

During the 8th century, another naval state emerged into a strong "Java Empire" across the sea. Dispute among the historians about the center of this Java Empire still has not been resolved, as it could be either the Java Island of today Indonenesia or the Malay Peninsula. Java vigorously expanded its territory and sailed to invade and finally conquered the weak Chenla states.

Ironically, the fate of Chenla and the invasion of Java Empire planted the actual seed for the establishment of the Angkor Empire.
http://www.cambodia-travel.com/khmer/chenla.htm


READ THE REST OF THIS AT

http://www.laohub.com/modules.php?name=For...900&start=0

Check this site out

http://www.khopjai.com/history1.html

http://www.khopjai.com/history2.html

Khmer History I find endlessly fascinating.

The first advanced civilizations in present day Cambodia appeared in the 1st millennium AD. During the 3rd, 4th, and 5th centuries, the Indianised states of Funan and Chenla coalesced in what is now present-day Cambodia and southwestern Vietnam. These states, which are assumed by most scholars to have been Khmer,[1] had close relations with China and India.[2] Their collapse was followed by the rise of the Khmer Empire, a civilization which flourished in the area from the 9th century to the 13th century.

Though declining after this period, the Khmer Empire remained powerful in the region until the 15th century. The empire's center of power was Angkor, where a series of capitals was constructed during the empire's zenith. Angkor Wat, the most famous and best preserved religious temple at the site, is a symbolic reminder of Cambodia's past as a major regional power.

After a long series of wars with neighbouring kingdoms, Angkor was sacked by the Thai and abandoned in 1432. The court moved the capital to Lovek where the kingdom sought to regain its glory through maritime trade. The attempt was short-lived, however, as continued wars with the Thai and Vietnamese resulted in the loss of more territory and the conquering of Lovek in 1594. During the next three centuries, The Khmer kingdom alternated as a vassal state of the Thai and Vietnamese kings, with short-lived periods of relative independence between.

In 1863 King Norodom, who had been installed by Thailand,[3] sought the protection of France. In 1867, the Thai king signed a treaty with France, renouncing Suzerainty over Cambodia in exchange for the control of Battambang and Siem Reap provinces which officially became part of Thailand. The provinces were ceded back to Cambodia by a border treaty between France and Thailand in 1906.

Cambodia continued as a protectorate of France from 1863 to 1953, administered as part of the French colony of Indochina. After war-time occupation by the Japanese empire from 1941 to 1945, Cambodia gained independence from France on November 9, 1953. It became a constitutional monarchy under King Norodom Sihanouk.

In 1955, Sihanouk abdicated in favour of his father in order to be elected Prime Minister. Upon his father's death in 1960, Sihanouk again became head of state, taking the title of Prince. As the Vietnam War progressed, Sihanouk adopted an official policy of neutrality until ousted in 1970 by a military coup led by Prime Minister General Lon Nol and Prince Sisowath Sirik Matak, while on a trip abroad. From Beijing, Sihanouk realigned himself with the communist Khmer Rouge rebels who had been slowly gaining territory in the remote mountain regions and urged his followers to help in overthowing the pro-United States government of Lon Nol, hastening the onset of civil war.[4]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cambodia

Home boy , you be check yourself . Where in any of my post at laohub or here did I say lao was the original people in Southeast asia? You better stop making things up . You can read from all my post here in Asianfinest and laohub over again. I always stated that khmer was there before lao. I'd smack you upside cha head lolz.

I think I read this before on a Cambodian site... Khmerdynasty.com or something or wikipedia ? lol

damn ! im all confused. who own all of these provineses. is it the khmer,lao or the tai in the earlier years. seem to me every country have the lied story to passed on to their people of the new generations. didnt khmer territory from the north,the border of china to the southern tip of thailand and from the pacific ocean to bangladash in the earlier years. how many dynasty are there beside the khmer king dynasty. i think, the khmer,the lao and the thai should sit down as a group and clarify their history. khmer have the temples all of over southeast asia to prove that they 're the one who own these land. does tai and lao have any marking on the ground to proved anything beside the legend. khmer , lao and thai have simular story. i bet somebody is copied from somebody.

totally agree with you!!!

I don't even know why people are even taking the Malay part seriously. For a theory whose biggest claim lay on the ethnicity of the Funanese being Malay totally disregard that what the Funanese called themselves, spoke or anything. It is also well known that Funan established itself through agriculture as well as trade and that Mon-Khmer people such as the Mon are sea-oriented, not only the Malays. My biggest argument is the fact that Khmers share the same origin myth as the Funanese.

the funan,and the chenla are just the name that was name by the chineses but they are the khmers. i think, the chinese were tried to confused the world.

I have a theory on where Chenla derives from. The Khmer word for northwest is Cherng Leh, which correponds to Chenla's location in the northwest of Funan. But this theory would mean that the Funanese spoke Khmer, as giving a cardinal direction to a region usually coincid with the location of the name giver.