Name of Cambodia

Name of Cambodia

The name of Cambodia, in Khmer "Kampuchea" (ព្រះរាជាណាចក្រកម្ពុជា Preăh Réachéa Nachâk Kâmpŭchea), derives from Sanskrit Kambujadeśa (कम्बोजदेश; "land of Kambuja"). It is not unique to the modern kingdom of Cambodia: the same name (i.e. Kamboja/Kambuja) is also found in Burmese and Thai chronicles referring to regions within those kingdoms. In the Indian chronicles the Kambuja were a barbarian (in the sense of non-Indian) people in the area of modern Afghanistan. "The application to Southeast Asia has no ethnic content and does not imply any migration of peoples from the original Kambuja; the most likely explanation is that, when Indian traders and Brahmins came into contact with local populations some two thousand years ago, they gave them the names of regions which, in their view, were similarly marginal and remote: the peoples of Southeast Asia, like the barbarian Kamboja, had no castes, did not observe proper food prohibitions and had different rules for marriage."[1] An origin-myth recorded in the Baksei Chamkrong inscription, dated AD 947, derives Kambuja from Svayambhuva Kambu, a legendary Indian sage who reached the Indochina peninsula and married a naga princess named Mera, thus uniting the Indian and local races. In this story Kambuja derives from Kambu+ja, and means "descendants of Kambu."[2]

Preah Reachanachâk Kampuchea means "Kingdom of Cambodia". Etymologically, its components are: Preah- ("sacred"); -reach- ("king, royal, realm", from Sanskrit); -ana- (from Pāli āṇā, "authority, command, power", itself from Sanskrit ājñā, same meaning) -châk (from Sanskrit chakra, meaning "wheel", a symbol of power and rule). The name used on formal occasions, such as political speeches and news programs, is Prâteh Kampuchea (Khmer: ប្រទេសកម្ពុជា), literally "the Country of Cambodia". The colloquial name most used by Khmer people is Srok Khmae (Khmer: ស្រុកខ្មែរ), literally "the Khmer Land". Srok is a Mon-Khmer word roughly equal to the Sanskritic prâteh, but less formal.

The official name of Cambodia has changed several times since independence:

  • Kingdom of Cambodia/Royaume du Cambodge under the monarchy from 1953 through 1970;
  • Khmer Republic/République Khmère under the Lon Nol government from 1970 to 1975;
  • Democratic Kampuchea/Kampuchea démocratique under the Khmer Rouge from 1975 to 1979;
  • People's Republic of Kampuchea/République populaire du Kampuchea under the rule of the Vietnamese-sponsored government from 1979 to 1989;
  • State of Cambodia/État du Cambodge after the collapse of the Eastern Bloc and under the United Nations Transitional Authority from 1989 to 1993;
  • Kingdom of Cambodia/Royaume du Cambodge after the restoration of the monarchy in 1993.

See also

  • Kamboja (name)
  • Indianized kingdoms

References

  1. ^ Serge Thion, "On some Cambodian Words," Thai-Yunnan Project Newsletter No. 20., Department of Anthropology, Research School of Pacific Studies, Australian National University.
  2. ^ George Coedes, Inscriptions du Cambodge, II, pp. 10, 155

Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Поможем сделать НИР

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Cambodia — /kam boh dee euh/, n. a republic in SE Asia: formerly part of French Indochina. 11,163,861; 69,866 sq. mi. (180,953 sq. km). Cap.: Phnom Penh. Formerly, People s Republic of Kampuchea, Khmer Republic. * * * Cambodia Introduction Cambodia… …   Universalium

  • Cambodia —  has been variously known in recent decades as the Khmer Republic, Democratic Kampuchea, and the People’s Republic of Kampuchea, but in 1989 it resumed its historical name of Cambodia …   Bryson’s dictionary for writers and editors

  • Cambodia Town, Long Beach, California — Cambodia Town (also known as Little Phnom Penh or Little Cambodia) is the official name for a roughly one mile long business corridor along Anaheim Street between Atlantic and Junipero avenues in Long Beach, California. [cite news title =… …   Wikipedia

  • Kambojas and Cambodia — Cambodia or Kambodia is the English transliteration of the French name Kambodge , which name stands for Sanskrit Kamboja (Persian Kambujiya or Kambaujiya ). In Chinese historical accounts, the land was known as Chenla. The ancient inscriptions of …   Wikipedia

  • Cambodia under Sihanouk (1954–1970) — Infobox Former Country native name = Preăh Réachéanachâkr Kâmpŭchea Vương quốc Kampuchea conventional long name = Kingdom of Cambodia common name = Cambodia continent = moved from Category:Asia to Southeast Asia region = Southeast Asia era = Cold …   Wikipedia

  • Cambodia — <p></p> <p></p> Introduction ::Cambodia <p></p> Background: <p></p> Most Cambodians consider themselves to be Khmers, descendants of the Angkor Empire that extended over much of Southeast Asia and… …   The World Factbook

  • Cambodia national football team — Infobox National football team Name = Cambodia Badge = Cambodian Football Federation.png FIFA Trigramme = CAM FIFA Rank = 181 1st ranking date = December 1995 FIFA max = 156 FIFA max date = July 1998 FIFA min = 188 FIFA min date = December 2005… …   Wikipedia

  • Cambodia — Infobox Country native name = Preăh Réachéanachâkr Kâmpŭchea Royaume du Cambodge conventional long name = Kingdom of Cambodia common name = Cambodia symbol type = Royal Arms national motto = Nation, Religion, King national anthem = Nokoreach… …   Wikipedia

  • Cambodia (song) — Infobox Single Name = Cambodia Artist = Kim Wilde from Album = Select B side = Watching For Shapes Released = 2 November 1981 Format = 7 , 12 Recorded = Genre = Pop Length = 3:56 Label = RAK Writer = Ricky Wilde, Marty Wilde Producer = Ricky… …   Wikipedia

  • Cambodia national baseball team — Infobox National baseball team Name = Cambodia national baseball team Country = flag|Cambodia Federation = Confederation = Baseball Federation of Asia Manager = Olympic apps = Olympic first = Olympic best = WBC apps = WBC first = WBC best = WC… …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”