New Museum Planned for Vietnam Vedic Site

[Guest guest]

Vietnam News Service

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Cham museum set for Quang Nam

 

The central province of Quang Nam has plans to build a Cham museum at

the My Son Complex in Duy Xuyen District later this year.

 

The museum, which aims to showcase and preserve documents, images and

artefacts relating to the Cham ethnic minority and the My Son World

Heritage Site, will be built with funding from the Japanese

government.

http://www.vietnam-

tourism.com/vietnam_gov/e_pages/Tintuc/dulich/t6_tindl02b_04.htm#05Cha

m museum set for Quang Nam

 

MY SON, VIETNAM

 

AN ANCIENT VEDIC HOLY LAND

http://www.vedicempire.com/vedicviet1.htm

My Son houses several temples built by the Hindu Chams in Central

Vietnam. Built with bricks a thousand years ago, these temples stand

in ruins, having even suffered bombardment by American airplanes

during the Vietnam War. My Son is one of the major sites of a Hindu

kingdom called the Kingdom of Champa that flourished in Vietnam up to

the 15th century. Hinduism was apparently brought to the region by

Javanese traders, but the Indian influence is obvious. Much of the

site was badly damaged during the wars (both French and American), so

there are bomb craters and one is advised not to wander off the

marked paths as there could still be landmines. Despite which, there

is still a lot to see. The temples are divided into several groups

and we started with Group F. Basically, these are 8th century temples

to Shiva.

 

 

ANCIENT VIETNAMESE MANY ARMED VISHNU ANCIENT

VITNAMESE VEDIC TEMPLE DEVAS ON

ANCIENT VIETNAMESE TEMPLE

 

 

 

We also visited Group G, which was more recent (12th century) but

smaller and less interesting. The most impressive part was groups B,

C and D, (8th through 11th century) where you can actually go into a

few of the temples. The ornamentation is remarkably detailed. If you

had no exposure to Hindu mythology, you might have learned something,

but wandering on your own would be entirely adequate.

http://www.xenophilia.net/vietnam/hue.html

 

My Son, Vietnam

 

 

Library Tower, there s a Polynesian,

 

Javan influence in the shape of the inverted boat

 

 

 

Carved sentinels on the walls of the temple

 

 

 

 

Shiva carvings

 

 

 

Vishnu

 

 

SOURCE: http://www.esamskriti.com/html/new_photo.asp?subcatid=52

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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.

http://www.footprintsvietnam.com/destination_my_son.htm