History of Stung Sangke, an important source of water for the people of Battambang

Stung Sangke is an important river that flows through the town of Battambang city of Battambang province. This river originates in Phnom Teuk Prel, a high mountain in Pailin area called Srok Leu, where many small streams and streams flow. Those rivers and streams are: O Kbal Krabey, O Korki, Stung Kranhong, O Spean, O Treng and Stung Kampong Koul. Stung Sangke is a river that flows through the town of Battambang, which is an important source of water for the daily life of the people in that area for a long time until now. This important water source is used by the people to irrigate the fields and raise livestock. What is the history of this important water source?

According to legend, in the past, about 3 km south of Battambang town, the Sangker River splits into two, O’Dambang and O’Sangke. But later, the people in that area stopped the O’Dambang river so that the water could flow only one way along the same river that flows through the town of Battambang.

Earlier elders said that the Sangke River used to be a small river, about 4 to 5 meters wide, and in front of the Sangke pagoda, there was a Sangke tree leaning to one side, which became a means for people in the area to walk. On that Sangke tree, crossing from one side to the other side of the river, the land was called “Sangke clumps”. Later, they built a pagoda called Wat Sangke. The main river for Battambang is in O’Dambang village today, so at the end of this river is called Stung Chas is in Stung Chas village.

During the dam, a dam was built at Stung Bek near Wat Khveng, but it could not be stopped and broke many, many times. Many old people who remember the story say that they performed a prayer ceremony by killing a pregnant woman and sacrificing the sacred objects that guard the dam.

This is called Prek Punray, where another group of elders said that they had made a shrine for three statues: one Buddha, one hand, one dragon, and one Narayan near the dam. From that day on, the dam no longer broke and the river flowed along the Battambang or Sangke rivers, causing the river to grow larger. The river that flows through O’Dambang is getting smaller and smaller, while the place that used to be 5 meters wide is now about 100 meters.

The above description is according to the document of Preah Kru Serey Satha Keo Sang, Battambang District Sub-Committee. Documents suggest that the dam may have been built before 1795.