Once upon a time, there was a beautiful woman named Neang Kakey. She was the first of all the royal concubines of the kingdom of Peareansey. And she was known for her beauty and charm. However, she was also unfaithful and had affairs with other men. The king was aware of her infidelity but was unable to control her.
The king's counselor, Garuda, tricked the royal consort into sleeping with him at night. He then took her to his kingdom. When the king became aware of his counselor's trickery, he sent another royal counselor, Kânthan, to rescue her. Instead, Kânthan too was infatuated with Neang Kakey and became her daytime lover, while Garuda was unaware of becoming merely a nighttime lover. When he finally discovered her deceit, he rejected her. And she returned to the kingdom of Peareansey.
Later, Neang Kakey fell in love with a young man named Krong Reap. They began an affair, but the king's spies discovered their relationship. This time, the king was furious and ordered Krong Reap to be executed, and Neang Kakey was banished from the kingdom.
Neang Kakey wandered the countryside, living as a beggar. She eventually met a wise old woman who taught her about the virtues of honesty and loyalty. Neang Kakey realized the error of her ways and decided to return to the kingdom to seek forgiveness.
When she returned, the king was initially angry and refused to forgive her. However, Neang Kakey's sincerity and remorse eventually won him over, and he forgave her. Thus, Neang Kakey and the king reconciled and lived happily ever after.
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The Legend of Neang Kakey is a Khmer sāstrā lbaeng tale (a genre of fantastic adventure romances in medieval Khmer literature).
The story was composed as a melodrama in verse by the then-future King of Cambodia, Ang Duong, in 1815. At the time, he resided at the Royal Court in Thailand. It was primarily derived from two jataka stories, Kakati Jataka and Sussondi Jataka.
The Kakati Jataka tells the story of a king who falls in love with a beautiful woman named Kakati. However, Kakati is unfaithful and has affairs with other men. The king is unable to control her, and she eventually leaves him for another man. The Sussondi Jataka tells the story of a king who is betrayed by his wife and her lover. The king forgives his wife, but he orders her lover to be executed.
In the story of Neang Kakey, the author used these two jataka stories to explore the theme of a king experiencing difficulty in controlling his wife.
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