Sampot Chang Kben

Sampot chang kben (Khmer: សំពត់ចងក្បិន; Thai: โจงกระเบน, rtgs: chong kraben, pronounced [t͡ɕōːŋ krābēːn]; Lao: ຜ້າຫາງ, pha hang) is a lower-body, wrap-around cloth worn in the countries of Cambodia, Laos, and Thailand. It was the preferred choice of clothing for women of upper and middle classes for daily wear. The practice of daily wear died out at the beginning of the 20th century. Unlike the typical sampot, it is more of a pant than a skirt. It is a rectangular piece of cloth measuring three meters long and one meter wide. It is worn by wrapping it around the waist, stretching it away from the body, twisting the ends together then pulling the twisted fabric between the legs and tucking it in the back of the waist.

The history of sampot chang kben dates back to ancient Cambodia, where deities were often portrayed wearing such styles. References to most Khmer elders told a legend related to this garment. It said that a long time ago, the Khmer people worn sampot chang kben, followed by Indian. In those times, India provided many religions, but the most important one was Hinduism, as the Khmer king at that time built the temples such as Angkor Wat, also dedicated to Hinduism. In the era of the Khmer empire, most of the people were likely to read and see The Reamker at the Angkor Wat carving in the first floor as well. The origin of sampot chang kben is known as Indian. Also prayed and blessed to was a deva known as Hanuman, the guard of Prince Rama in India's famous mythology, Ramayana, as well as the Khmer adaptation, Reamker. To show its power, Indians preferred to wear the sampot chang kben as their costume but today, countries under the Greater India, such as Cambodia, also wear it for special occasions.

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