by ansuchin » Sun Dec 18, 2011 12:05 am
The Khmer dance of the Mermaid & Hanuman. (For those here who have minimal familiarity with Hindu mythology, Hanuman is an incarnation of the divine, or as Lord Shiva incarnated as a monkey. Hanuman is one of the dearest devotees of lord Rama, and is a central figure in the Ramayana. This story is a Khmer version and variation of part of that myth).
The story goes that Sovan Macha is the daughter of Krong Reap who is an evil king (aka the Demon Ravana), but Sovan Macha is also queen of the mermaids. She disrupted the rocks Hanuman placed in the sea to make a bridge to cross to Sri Lanka or to the island of Langkawi to rescue Sita (daughter of Bhumi Devi, the goddess of the Earth) or Neang Seda depending upon the version of the story you hear.
Hanuman becomes very angry about Sovan Macha’s interference and jumps into the ocean to find her. He is than mesmerized by her. They fall in love, and with their union comes a baby. Their baby is Machanu, half monkey and half mermaid, a concord of earth and water. Hanuman's army and Sovan Macha's mermaids then work together to complete the bridge to rescue and bring Neang Seda (Sita) into their family. Their love inspires the harmony of the queens of the oceans, the earth, and the gods.
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