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My Son Holy Land
My Son, located 69 km southwest of
Da Nang, was an imperial city during the Cham dynasty,
between the 4th and 12th centuries. My Son Sanctuary is
a large complex of religious relics that comprises more
than 70 architectural works. They include temples and
towers that connect to each other with complicated red
brick designs. The main component of the Cham
architectural design is the tower, built to reflect the
divinity of the king. See
According to records on the stone stele, the prime
foundation of the ancient My Son architectural complex
was a wooden temple to worship the Siva Bhadresvera
genie. In the late 16th century, a big fire destroyed
the temple. Step by step, historical mysteries were
unveiled by scientists. Through stone stele and royal
dynasties, they proved My Son to be the most important
Holy Land of the Cham people from the late 4th to the
15th centuries. For many centuries, the Cham built Lip,
a mutually linked architectural complex, with baked
bricks and sandstone. The main temple worships the Linga-Yoni,
who represents the capability of invention. Beside the
main tower (Kalan) are several sub-towers worshipping
Genies or deceased kings. Although time and the wars
have destroyed some towers, the remaining sculptural and
architectural remnants still reflect the style and
history of the art of the Cham people. Their
masterpieces mark a glorious time for the architecture
and culture of the Cham, as well as of Southeast Asia.
Each historical period has its own identity, so that
each temple worshipping a genie or a king of a different
dynasty has its own architectural style full of
different impression. All of the Cham towers were built
on a quadrate foundations and each comprises three
parts: a solid tower base, representing the world of
human beings, the mysterious and sacred tower body,
representing the world of spirits, and the tower top
built in the shape of a man offering flowers and fruits
or of trees, birds, animals, etc., representing things
that are close to the spirits and human beings.
According to many researchers of the ancient Cham
towers, the architectural art of the Cham towers at My
Son Sanctuary is the convergence of different styles,
including the continuity of the ancient style in the
7th-8th centuries, the Hoa Lai style of the 8th-9th
centuries, the Dong Duong style from the mid-9th
century, the My Son and My Son-Binh Dinh styles, etc.
Among the remnants of many architectural sites excavated
in 1898, a 24 metres high tower was found in the Thap
Chua area and coded A I by archaeologists and
researchers on My Son. This tower is a masterpiece of
ancient Cham architecture. It has two doors, one in the
east and the other in the west. The tower body is high
and delicate with a system of paved pillars; six
sub-towers surround the tower. This two storey tower
looks like a lotus flower. The top of the upper layer is
made of sandstone and carved with elephant and I ion
designs. In the lower layer, the walls are carved with
fairies and water evils and men riding elephants.
Unfortunately, the tower was destroyed by US bombs in
1969.
After the My Son ancient tower complex was discovered,
many of its artifacts, especially statues of female
dancers and genies worshipped by the Cham people,
worship animals and artifacts of the daily communal
activities, were collected and displayed at the Cham
Architecture Museum in Da Nang city. Although there are
not many remnants left, those that remain display the
typical sculptural works of cultural value of the Cham
nationality. Furthermore, they are vivid proof,
confirming the history of a nationality living within
the Vietnamese community boasting of a rich cultural
tradition.
See
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Source: Vietnam Nation Administration of Tourism |
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