Sompot chong kben (, ) is a unisex lower-body wraparound garment. It originated in ancient Cambodia and was later adopted in neighbouring countries including Laos and Thailand, where it is known as pha hang ( ) and chong kraben ( ) pha chung hang ( ). It is most commonly worn by women, particularly those of middle to high socio-economic status.
Etymology Sompot chong kben () combines three Khmer words: សំពត់ (/sɑmpʊət/, sampot), a long, rectangular cloth worn around the lower body; ចង (/cɑɑŋ/, chang), refers to the part of the cloth that's twisted into a bunch; and ក្បិន (/kbən/, kben), to the bunch's role in concealing "private parts". Chong kraben () is used among Thai people and derived from these Khmer words.
History According to scholars, one can contend that the Khmer chong kben corresponds to the Indian dhoti. The back of the sompot chong kben is in reference to the tail of Hanuman.
Different styles of chong kben are apparent on Ankorian bas-reliefs. The garment's end panels can present as follows: rolled into a bunch, pulled through the legs, and then secured in the back waistband, or with a belt; deities and kings present a style that entails pulling one front end to the back as the other end drapes the front with the tip secured in the waist-area, creating a pocketfold; knotting the chong kben at the waist with one end hanging front and center and the other pulled back through the legs and slid under the fabric to hang in the center, and a minimal chong kben resembling a loincloth, carved onto “austerely-garbed Brahman priests,” laborers, soldiers, slaves from the mountains, and prisoners of war in bas-reliefs. An exuberant version, or “flared” chong kben, is shown on protagonists of the Mahabharata-epic bas-reliefs, as well as high-ranking soldiers and warrior kings.
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See also Dhoti Sampot Sampot chang samluy Khmer traditional clothing Traditional Thai clothing
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