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My Son - Quang Nam
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.
The origins of the Cham are unclear, but it appears that they were an important element of the Indianisation of South East Asia around the first and second centuries AD. An important part of the culture of the various groups was the creation of massive temples and monuments, the quintessence of which was the amazing Angkor complex in Cambodia.
The Chinese control of Vietnam was more or less contemporaneous with the Cham Kingdom. They tolerated its presence and used it as a source of income via tribute and, from time to time, plunder. However, once the Vietnamese had driven their oppressors back across the border, they turned their attentions southwards and began a long war of attrition that culminated in the demise of the kingdom and the assimilation of most of its people.
The My Son Sanctuary complex of religious monuments originally comprised of more than 70 structures of which 25 remain in varying degrees of ruin. The Cham people erected monumental towers on square or rectangular foundations. They comprised of three elements:
1. the base represented the world of humans
2. the tower body represented the world of spirits
3. the tower head (typically lotus shaped) represented the realm between the two worlds. The structures were usually built of baked bricks and sandstone.
The builders of My Son derived their cultural and spiritual influences almost exclusively from India in the form of the trinity of Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva. Shiva was the central figure of worship – his images abound among what remains of the Cham monuments.
The building techniques are less certain. The thin red bricks used in their construction indicate a very high level of skill. Various theories have been put forward to account for the unerring accuracy of the brickwork. One suggests that they were stuck together by some form of vegetable glue. Another proposes that the towers were erected with the bricks in a dried state and were fired in situ by piling wood against the edifice to create an enormous outdoor ‘kiln’. For anyone who has closely inspected the remarkable regularity of the joint and bonding courses, both seem unlikely explanations.
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.
Unfortunately, the US forces believed that My Son was a Viet Cong field headquarters (an assumption open to doubt). They therefore designated the site a free-fire zone resulting in heavy shelling and the destruction of many of the towers.
The process of decay has continued since, and what remains is in a poor state of repair. The site’s designation as a UNESCO World Heritage Area has reinvigorated interest in its conservation and has already attracted significant resources to that end, notably from Italy.
Despite its neglected appearance, My Son is worth a visit. It is in an attractive valley, well away from any other buildings, in the mists of a wooded area. It’s usually quiet, peaceful, and very evocative. Even in their ruined state, the towers are impressive, and the scale of the endeavour makes its religious significance obvious.
If you visit the site, remember to take sunscreen because the valley is a sun trap, and if you see anyone climbing on the remains of the towers to take photographs, please remind them of their responsibility to help in its conservation!
The origins of the Cham are unclear, but it appears that they were an important element of the Indianisation of South East Asia around the first and second centuries AD. An important part of the culture of the various groups was the creation of massive temples and monuments, the quintessence of which was the amazing Angkor complex in Cambodia.
The Chinese control of Vietnam was more or less contemporaneous with the Cham Kingdom. They tolerated its presence and used it as a source of income via tribute and, from time to time, plunder. However, once the Vietnamese had driven their oppressors back across the border, they turned their attentions southwards and began a long war of attrition that culminated in the demise of the kingdom and the assimilation of most of its people.
The My Son Sanctuary complex of religious monuments originally comprised of more than 70 structures of which 25 remain in varying degrees of ruin. The Cham people erected monumental towers on square or rectangular foundations. They comprised of three elements:
1. the base represented the world of humans
2. the tower body represented the world of spirits
3. the tower head (typically lotus shaped) represented the realm between the two worlds. The structures were usually built of baked bricks and sandstone.
The builders of My Son derived their cultural and spiritual influences almost exclusively from India in the form of the trinity of Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva. Shiva was the central figure of worship – his images abound among what remains of the Cham monuments.
The building techniques are less certain. The thin red bricks used in their construction indicate a very high level of skill. Various theories have been put forward to account for the unerring accuracy of the brickwork. One suggests that they were stuck together by some form of vegetable glue. Another proposes that the towers were erected with the bricks in a dried state and were fired in situ by piling wood against the edifice to create an enormous outdoor ‘kiln’. For anyone who has closely inspected the remarkable regularity of the joint and bonding courses, both seem unlikely explanations.
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.
Unfortunately, the US forces believed that My Son was a Viet Cong field headquarters (an assumption open to doubt). They therefore designated the site a free-fire zone resulting in heavy shelling and the destruction of many of the towers.
The process of decay has continued since, and what remains is in a poor state of repair. The site’s designation as a UNESCO World Heritage Area has reinvigorated interest in its conservation and has already attracted significant resources to that end, notably from Italy.
Despite its neglected appearance, My Son is worth a visit. It is in an attractive valley, well away from any other buildings, in the mists of a wooded area. It’s usually quiet, peaceful, and very evocative. Even in their ruined state, the towers are impressive, and the scale of the endeavour makes its religious significance obvious.
If you visit the site, remember to take sunscreen because the valley is a sun trap, and if you see anyone climbing on the remains of the towers to take photographs, please remind them of their responsibility to help in its conservation!