Queen Soma
Videos
Photos
Soma was the ruler of the Kingdom of Funan and widely claimed as the first monarch of Cambodia. She was also the first female leader of Cambodia. Her consort was Kaundinya I. She is known as Soma (Indian), Liǔyè, Liễu Diệp and Neang Neakii.
Queen Soma
Funan
Videos
Photos
Funan was the name given by Chinese cartographers, geographers and writers to an ancient Indianized state—or, rather a loose network of states (Mandala)—located in mainland Southeast Asia centered on the Mekong Delta that existed from the first to sixth century CE. The name is found in Chinese historical texts describing the kingdom, and the most extensive descriptions are largely based on the report of two Chinese diplomats, Kang Tai and Zhu Ying, representing the Eastern Wu dynasty who sojourned in Funan in the mid-3rd century CE.
The archeological site of Go Cay Thi, Oc Eo
The archaeological site of Go Thap Muoi, Đồng Tháp
A statue of Queen Soma
This stele found at Tháp Mười in Đồng Tháp Province, Vietnam and now located in the Museum of History in Ho Chi Minh City is one of the few extant writings that can be attributed confidently to the kingdom of Funan. The text is in Sanskrit, written in Grantha script of the Pallava dynasty, dated to the mid-5th century CE, and tells of a donation in honour of Vishnu by a Prince Gunavarman of the Kaundinya lineage.