Preah Thong and Neang Neak: The Founding of the Khmer Nation
The foundational creation myth of the Khmer people tells the story of Preah Thong (Kaundinya), an Indian Brahmin prince, and Neang Neak (Queen Soma), a Naga serpent princess. According to the legend recorded by Chinese envoys Kang Tai and Zhu Ying in the 3rd century CE, Kaundinya received a divine instruction in a dream to take a magic bow from a temple and sail to a distant land. He arrived on the coast of what is now Cambodia, where he encountered the kingdom of the Naga ruled by the serpent king. The Naga king's daughter, Princess Soma (Neang Neak), confronted the stranger on the shore. Kau