The Cham ruins at My Son have survived nearly 2000 years, the raveges
of war and harsh tropical climate. But last December UNESCO's Heritage
Committee meved to safeguard their future by bestowing a world heritage
listing on the site and the nearby ancient town of Hoi An.
As history tells it, Indian missionaries came to
Viet Nam in the 2nd or 3rd century A.D.
They brought Phi ' it Win and Tu Phat to the north and in the central
region Linga-vua (King Linga) and Ba Chua Ngoc (Princess Pearl),
belonging to Brahmanism, were formed. The Cham tower system, seen from
Ngang Pass to Binh Dinh, is characteristic of this reli- III fact
Brahmanism worships three gods, Shiva, Vishnu and Brahmin.
Yet the Cham people consider Shiva as then- supreme god. For this
reason, the architectural features Of Cham tem- and towers feature only
one large, high tower where Shiva is worshipped. When the King died,
the Linga-vua was also worshipped together with Shiva. Other gods were
also worshipped but in the lower, smaller temples. Chain towers were
built in brick with lively, delicate and Supple patterns, or reliefs,
chiselled onto their surface.
The My Son architectural complex in Duy Xuyen Discentral Quang Nam
Province displays centuries of her- of' tile Chain kingdom. In the late
4th century, King Bhadravaran- I offered this area to the spirit. The
high Mountain facing the rising sun is where the Cham people believed
the supreme god ruled, the Surrounding lower mountains were for the
subsidiary gods. At the foot of the Mountain, where a sacred stream
snaked through, the King, ordered a wooden temple-tower built to
worship Shiva.
The My Son complex is not far from the ancient capital city Ximhapura
in Tra Kieu (Quang Nam) and the Cha Ban Wall (Binh Dinh). in the late
6th century, tile woo en tem- area was engulfed in a big fire so King
Xubu Vacman had it re-built later with bricks and succeeding dynasties
built their own temples and towers -creating an imposing sight.