The Reamker is also used in various forms of Khmer theatre called lkhaon. The Epic is known to every Khmer People by heart because it is taught in schools and is performed during national holidays. The Reamker have several diffrences form the original Ramayana, including scenes not included in th original and emphasize on Hanuman and Sovanna Maccha. Althought it have striking simmilarities to the Thai Ramakien, the Reamker was written before the Thai version.
From the Indian epic Ramayana gave birth to the Cambodian version the Reamker. The intricate carving on the walls of Angkor Wat depicts scene from the original ramayana nearly a millennium ago, akin to the wall paintings at Cambodia's Royal Palace and Wat Bo. The Ramayana held its position as India's national epic for two thousand years, but the Khmer Reamker came only into existence in th 16th century. It is believed to be written by a Monk to suite Buddhist ideas but also fit the Cambodian way of thinking. Original in the form of dance drama, the Reamker held its role as an integral part of Cambodian culture since the Longvek
era.
Central Plot
The Reamker plots begins with its Protagonist, Preah Ream or Rama was sent into exile by one of the queen mothers who wanted her own son to inherit the throne. After the queen exiled Preah Ream, the true heir to the thrown into the forest, his beautiful and faithful wife Neang Seda whom the prince won in a joust follows her husband into the forest. Preah Leak, the younger brother of Preah Ream is concerned about his older brother joins Neang Seda. While entering the forest, Neang Seda and Preah Leak meets the female demon Sophanakha (Surphanakha in the original epic) who first attempt to seduce Preah Ream, and then Preah Leak. Preah Leak, annoyed by the demon's action cuts off her ear and nose. The butchered Sophanakha thirsting for revenge went to her thousand head brother Krong Reap, or Ravana the invicible lord of the island of Langka. Krong Reap secrectly goes to the forest. When he first set eyes on Neang Seda, he was awe by her divine beauty. Having sent Preah Ream and Preah Leak with a ruse, he diguises himself as an old, errant and kidnaps Neang Seda. Preah Ream and Preah Leak desperately searches for Neang Seda and in the meantime, they assist the Monkey King Sugriva to destroy his rival Valin and regain his throne. Thanking the two, Sugriva sends the monkey warrior Hanuman to aid them in their search. Hanuman, the son of the wind god flies out to discover that the demon Krong Reap held Neang Seda prisoner on the island of Langka. Hanuman order his soilders to build a bridge of stone to connect the island Langka to the mainland. While gathering stones, Hnauman realizes that mermaids were stealling stones to prevent the construction of the bridge. He was roused by this and decides to capture the mermaid princess Neang Machha but falls into deep love. The two was in love and thus her and her mermaid army stop tampering in Hanuman's bussiness. The bridge built, Preah Ream and Krong Reap faces each other in combat and with Hanuman's aid, the demon was killed. Preah Ream, victorious in his battles returns to the capital of Ayuthya and ascends the thrown. Trust issues between him and his wife Neang Seda was settled when she passes the trail of fire to prove she is still pure. Afterword, people began to speak out against the queen and she must find refuge with Valmiki the wiseman, where she gives birth to twin boys. They met their father and he immediately recognizes who they are and takes them to his palace, he agrees to have Neang Seda by his sides once more only if she passes another trial. Neang Seda summons the Goddess of Earth to testify her chasity, and ultimately passes.
Krong Reap ordered his friend, the yeak Moharik, to go to the ashram of Preah Ream and change his form into that of a beautiful golden deer. When Neang Seda saw the beautiful golden deer grazing in front of her ashram, she wanted its hide as a rug to sit on, so she asked Preah Ream to go and shoot it for her. When Preah Ream went off to hung the deer, Krong Reap changed himself into the form of a hermit and came close to Neang Seda. Grabbing Neang Seda, he put her on his chariot and flew away with her. In the sky, they met a bird call Jetayuh who founght Krong Reap. Krong Reap pulled a ring from Neang Seda’s fingers and hurled it at the bird, breaking his wing and wounding the bird so badly that it fell to the ground. As they flew on, Neang Seda let her scarf fall, imploring the monkeys in the trees to tell Preah Ream what had happened. Krong Reap took Neang Seda to the island of Langkar where he kept her in a palace in the garden of Asuk, surrounded by many female attendants. Krong Reap went to see Neang Seda often, but he could not win her heart. He did not want to force himself on Neang Seda since he was afraid that she might try to kill herself. Still her was very angry because Neang Seda wouldn’t let him touch her.  When Preah Ream returned from hunting the golden deer and couldn’t find Neang Seda, he wept, jetayuh came with Neang Seda’s ring, paid homage to Preah Ream, and told him that Krong Reap had stolen Neang Seda. Then Jetayuh died. Preah Ream shot an arrow which cremated the body of Jetayuh. Preah Ream then went to meet the peakcocks and the monkeys to whom Neang Seda had given her scarf. Later, along the way, Preah Ream met a yeak with the face of a horse called Asamukai. Preah Ream killed Asamukai and continued on, meeting a yeak called Kompul who had no legs. Kompul told Preah Ream the way to the island of Langka, and Preah Ream, piting Kompul, shot an arrow which turned him into a devada (goddess). As a goddess, Kompul then went to live in the heavens. Preah Ream continued on with Preah Leak. They stopped to rest under a huge tree. In the tree, there was a white monkey called Hanuman who was very clever and strong. Hanuman began to pick leaves and drop them on Preah Ream as he slept. Preah Leak shot arrows at the monkey to get him to stop, but Hanuman causght all of Preah Leak’s arrows. Waking up from the commotion, Preah Ream called Hanuman to come down from the tree. Hanuman saw that Preah Ream had the sign of the charka on the palms of his hands and on the soles of his feet. The monkey therefore knew that Preah Ream was a holy person so he climbed down and paid homage to him, asking if he could become one of Preah Ream’s commanders. Hanuman’s uncle, Sugrib, then came and asked Preah Ream to help him take revenge on his brother Peali. Preah Ream told Sugrib to go and fight with Peali in the sky. As the monkeys were fighting, Preah Ream shot an arrow at Peali who caught it and balanced it on a golden gobbler, asking the arrow to stop for seven days so that he could perform a ceremony. After Peali had performed this ceremony with his children, grandchildren, nieces and nephews, the arrow entered his body, killing him. The arrow then flew back into the quiver of Preah Ream. When Hanuman and Angkut went to meet Mohajumpu, they acted insolently and didn’t show the proper respect. Mohajumpu was very angry and he put the two monkeys in an iron cage. During the night, Hanuman and Angkut tore apart this cage and flew up to break the tower off of Mohajumpu’s palace. Inside the palace, they saw the sleeping King. They two monkeys lifted up the bed on which Mohajumpu was sleeping, and flew with it to pay homage to Preah Ream. Preah Ream had changed his form into that of Preah Neareay (Vishnu) with four heads and eight arms. When Mohajumpu woke and saw the image of Vishnu, he immediately paid homage to Preah Ream. Mohajumpu pledged allegiance to Preah Ream, offeing his four sons Kay Sat, Jumpuhpean, Nil Ek, and Nil Phat as commanders, and giving Preah Ream more monkeys to use as soldiers and administrators.
140. When Asophat (the son of Neang Ponyakay and Hanuman)learned of Pipaet's capture, he went to look for Hanuman who was living as a hermit in the forest. Asophat told Hanuman what had happened, and Hanuman went to tell Preah Ream. Preah Ream sent his brothers, Preah Bhirut and Preah Sutrut, along with Sugrib, Hanuman, Asophat, Nil Phat, Jumpupean and all their troops to go and free Pipaet. When they reached the edge of the sea where they had previously built the road to Langka, Nil Phat made himself huge and spread himself across the sea to form a bridge on which the monkeys could cross to the island. As soon as they had crossed to the island, the monkeys sent Jumpupean to the place with a letter addressed to Apainasorivong, asking the yeak to step down. Apainasorivong refused. |
King Januk was King of the city of Mithila. Because he had no children and thus no heirs, King Januk went to become a hermit in the forest of Hemapean. One day, when the hermit King sent his attendants to draw water, they saw a trunk floating in the river. They pulled the trunk to shore, opened it, and saw a baby girl inside of it. Because the hermit King did not know how to take care of a baby, he put the girl back in the trunk and buried it, asking the devada (or goddesses) to take care of the baby so that she wouldn't die.
Peali killed Tupi in the cave, but, because at that time it was raining very hard, the blood which flowed from the cave mixed with the earth and looked red to Sugrib. He thought the muddy rain water was the blood of his brother and so he took a boulder and blocked the mouth of the cave. Peali cut off the head of Tupi and used it as a battering ram to bash his way out of the cave. Peali was very angry and rushed at Sugrib, beating him and accusing his younger brother of wanting to kill him. Sugrb was very angry too and ran off to cry in the forest where he met his nephew, the white monkey Hanuman. 
Hanuman changed himself into the form of a tiny white monkey and went to meet the hermit Khobut. The hermit told Hanuman that Neang Seda was being held in the garden of Asauk. Hanuman slipped into the garden to look for Neang Seda.
Preah Ream ordered Sugrib to make a road across the sea to Langka, using all the monkey troops to carry stones and drop them into the sea. Nil Phat brought stones to the site, while Hanuman was supposed to catch them and stack them at the edge of the sea. Hanuman used one of his hangds for catching the stones while playing a game similar to checkers with the other hand. This made Nil Phat very angry and he sent Hanuman to get the stones instead. Hanuman collected a huge load of stones and then dropped them all down on Nil Phat. Nil Phat became even more angry and the two monkeys began to fight. Preah Leak finally had to step in an stoptheir fight. Meanwhile the Queen of the fish, Sovann Macha (who had the body of a human and the tail of a fish) ordered her fish to take away all the stones that the monkeys had managed to dropinto the sea. Seeing that many of the stones put down by the monkeys were quickly disappearing, Hanuman dove into the water and saw Sovann Macha. Hanuman caught the Quen of the fish and they fell in love. Sovann Macha then ordered her fish to help build the road by carrying rocks in their mouths and putting them into place in the sea. Hanuman and Sovann Macha had a child called Mechanub who had the body of a white monkey and the tail of a fish. A yeak king called Wereap asked to adopt Mechanub and took him to live under the sea in the city of Batdal. 
128. Pipaet and the yeak Mohautou led Neang Seda, Neang Montolkiri, and Neang Akinaet to the encampment of Preah Ream. When they arrived, the three Queens knelt and paid homage to Preah Ream. Preah Ream refused to acknowledge Neang Seda as his Queen however, since she hd been in the city of the yeak for twelve years by then and Preah Ream feared that she had not been faithful to him.
160. When Reamleak and Jupleak had grewn a bit, the hermit began to teach them magic and meditation until they were very clever and strong. The hermit conjured up a bow for each boy. Once went the boy went to play in the forest, they saw a tree made of very hard wood. the two boys shot arrows at the tree which immediately splintered apart in little pieces.
182. Preah Ream and Preah Leak continued on their journey until they came to a pond which had a garden all around it. This was the pond of the yeak Onarech. One of Onareach's commanders, Nunkal, had five hundred soldiers who stood guard over this pond. When Preah Ream and Preah Leak arrived at the pond with their monkey commanders, they began to bathe in it. Nunkal and his troops initially managed to catch Angkut and Nil Phat, but the other monkey commanders, Asophat and Macapoan, killed the yeak troops. Nunkal went to tell the yeak Onareach about what had happened.
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