According to the legend, the citadel of Lovek was so large that no horse could gallop around it. inside were two statues, preah ko ("sacred cow") and preah kaev ("sacred precious stone"); inside the bellies of these statues, "there were sacred books, in gold, where one could learn formulae, and books where on e could learn about anything in the world... Now the king of Siam wanted to have the statues, so he raised an army and came to fight the Cambodian king."
After opening up their bellies, the legend tells us, "they were able to take the books which were hidden there and study their contents. For this reason [emphasis added] they have become superior in knowledge to Cambodians, and for this reason the Cambodians are ignorant, and lack people to do what is necessary , unlike other countries."
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A History of Cambodia - David Chandler
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