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My Son, located 69 km southwest of Danang, 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.
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
Danang 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. |
