A testimony of the antiquity of the Khmer language are the multitude of epigraphic inscriptions on stone. The first written proof that has allowed the history of the Khmer Kingdom to be reconstructed are those inscriptions. These writings on columns, stelae and walls throw light on the royal lineages, religious edicts, territorial conquests and internal organization of the kingdom.
Khmer Vowels:
Following the stone inscriptions, some
of the oldest Khmer documents are translations and commentaries of the
Pali Buddhist texts of the Tripitaka. They were written by the monks
on palmyra palm leaves and kept in various monasteries throughout the
country.
The Ram Ker
(Rama’s fame) is the Cambodian version of the Ramayana, the famous
Indian epic. The Ram Ker comes in rhymed verses and is staged in
sections that are adapted to dance movements interpreted by local
artists. The Ram Ker is the oldest form of Cambodian theatre.
Cambodia
had a rich and varied traditional oral literature. There are many
legends, tales and songs of very ancient origin that were not put into
writing until the arrival of the Europeans. One of the most
representative of these tales was the story of Vorvong and Sorvong
(Vorvong and Saurivong), a long story about two Khmer princes that was
first put into writing by Auguste Pavie. This French civil servant
claimed that he had obtained the story from old Uncle Nip in Somrontong
District. This story was put into writing in Battambang. In 2006 the
Vorvong and Sorvong story was enacted in dance form by the Royal Ballet
of Cambodia.
