"Treasure" Cham tower

The South Central region is a land rich in cultural heritage, closely linked to the history of the whole nation. Stretching from Quang Ngai, Binh Dinh, Phu Yen to Khanh Hoa, the Cham relic system is very rich with many architectural works of art, steles, archaeological relics... of architectural, historical and cultural value, of which the most typical is the system of Cham towers with thousands of years of age. Cham towers are both cultural symbols and mark the history of each locality. Connecting Cham towers to become one of the "destinations" is a way to promote priceless "treasures", while contributing significantly to the development of tourism in the South Central region.

Cham towers, also known as Champa towers, Cham towers, are the common names for the Cham temple tower architecture, belonging to the religious architecture (Hindu, Buddhism) of the Cham people, living in the South Central region of our country today. In the South Central provinces, Cham towers were built in prosperous areas, from the Cham settlements on the mainland to Ly Son island of Quang Ngai province. That is enough to affirm that the tower architecture in the Champa culture had a golden age along the length of this land. Today, in the middle of bustling cities, the thousand-year-old Cham towers are still indispensable and unforgettable cultural and historical symbols.

The Mandapa area of ​​Ponagar Tower has four rows of large columns built of baked bricks, including 10 large columns inside and 12 small octagonal columns outside.

Ponagar Tower is located on Cu Lao hill, on the Cai river of Nha Trang city (Khanh Hoa province) is the largest Cham cultural heritage in the South Central region. Ponagar Tower relic was built from the 8th to the 13th century. The temple complex has a particularly important position in the religious and spiritual life of the Cham people despite the ups and downs of history.

Ponagar Tower in Nha Trang is currently the most unique Cham architectural complex in Vietnam because of its Mandapa (Parcel). According to scientists' research, this may be the place where offerings are prepared before being presented to the Lady. Although the Mandapa is no longer intact, this is still a very unique highlight of Ponagar Tower that cannot be mistaken for anything else.

With its outstanding historical, cultural, scientific and artistic values, in 1979, the Ministry of Culture and Information (now the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism) ranked Ponagar Tower as a national monument. Then, in 2012, the Ponagar Tower Festival was recognized as a National Intangible Cultural Heritage. This is an annual festival to commemorate the Holy Mother Ana, who is honored by the people as the Mother of the South Central region; praying for national peace and prosperity, favorable weather, and a peaceful life.

Traces of time at Nhan Tower (Phu Yen)

More than 100 km north of Ponagar Tower, Nhan Tower in Phu Yen province is located next to the majestic Ba River, on a small but equally majestic mountain. When touching the solid wall with dark red brick color without seeing any trace of mortar of Nhan Tower, no one would think that the tower soaring high in the Tuy Hoa sky was built in the 11th century. Nhan Tower is an architectural work of historical value of the Cham people and this is also a typical landscape of Phu Yen province that has been ranked as a special national monument.

According to Ms. Nguyen Thi Hong Thai, Director of the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism of Phu Yen province, Nhan Tower is a testament to the exchange between past civilizations in the regions of our country, including the Indian civilization. Nhan Tower also preserves many sandstone works of art such as decorative parts on the door and roof of the relic, which have high artistic value. The sandstone altar at this relic is an elaborately crafted work, with many soft and delicate motifs. Researchers of Champa culture assess that this altar can be submitted for recognition as a national treasure.

Duong Long Tower, the tallest Champa tower cluster in Southeast Asia, located in Binh Hoa Commune, Tay Son District, Binh Dinh Province, is known not only for its massive height but also for its unique architectural style. This is one of the most beautiful and largest Cham towers in Vietnam.

In Binh Dinh province, the architecture of Cham towers is large and quite intact, bearing the style of the Vijaya period. Currently, there are 8 clusters of Cham towers with 14 Cham towers, distributed in Quy Nhon city, An Nhon town and the districts of Tuy Phuoc, Tay Son, Phu Cat. In addition, there are 3 ancient citadel relics (Do Ban citadel, Cha citadel and Thi Nai citadel); 6 ancient pottery kiln relics; 26 scattered architectural ruins. Of which, Duong Long tower cluster was ranked as a special national monument in 2015; the remaining tower clusters were also ranked as national monuments. Besides the unique value of the temple architecture, the Cham cultural relics in Binh Dinh also preserve many rare stone and terracotta sculptures, currently there are 9 Cham stone sculptures recognized as national treasures.

Besides the Cham tower system still existing in Khanh Hoa, Binh Dinh and Phu Yen, more than 60 Cham cultural relics in Quang Ngai province are distributed from Binh Son to Duc Pho, on the coastal plain, to Ly Son island. All create a continuous continuity of history, style of each period, the value of each relic in the spiritual and cultural life of the ancients.

Banh It Tower relic, in Phuoc Hiep commune, Tuy Phuoc district, Binh Dinh province.

Despite the imprint of time, there are thousands of years old Cham towers that have not been forgotten but "live" in the heart of the city, along with the modern pace of life. In the South Central region, Cham towers have become cultural and historical symbols of each locality. Nhan Tower in Phu Yen is a historical "testimony" when on April 1, 1975, the liberation flag of the Revolution flew on top of the Tower, marking an important milestone in the history of the Party Committee and people of Phu Yen province. Or if you come to the martial arts land of Binh Dinh, the Twin Towers in Quy Nhon city are also an unforgettable symbol...

Through historical events and time, some Cham towers have degraded and have been restored and embellished by the Central and local authorities to preserve the precious heritage left by our ancestors for future generations. To keep Nhan Tower standing tall in the heart of Tuy Hoa city, Phu Yen province has carried out many restorations and embellishments. Of which, the most important restoration was carried out from 1998 to 2000. During this time, cultural experts and archaeologists worked hard to restore and reinforce many damaged and degraded items, so that Nhan Tower can maintain its shape.

Back of Ponagar Tower

Ponagar Tower has also undergone many restorations and renovations. Mr. Le Van Hoa, Deputy Director of the Department of Culture and Sports of Khanh Hoa province, said: Over time, with the humid tropical climate, the relic cannot avoid deterioration. In the Ponagar Tower complex, the South Tower currently needs a plan to restore, reinforce and restore to preserve and serve the religious and spiritual activities of pilgrims, as well as the sightseeing activities of domestic and international tourists. The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and Khanh Hoa province have allowed the preparation of a report on the investment policy for the restoration, reinforcement and restoration of the South Tower, with the expected implementation time in 2023 - 2024. These are very necessary tasks to preserve the local Cham tower system.

With the dense presence of Champa cultural ruins, Quang Ngai province has conducted archaeological and historical research. The results show that Quang Ngai was once a prosperous place for Champa culture. This development is related to the issue of trading goods to the outside along the four major river axes in the province, namely Tra Khuc River, Ve River, Tra Bong River and Tra Cau River...

Close-up of the kiln and some archaeological artifacts collected at the Chau Sa Citadel relic (Quang Ngai)

According to Dr. Doan Ngoc Khoi, Deputy Director of the Quang Ngai Provincial Museum: Among many archaeological excavations on Cham culture, up to this point, perhaps the most enjoyable was the one conducted at Chau Sa ancient citadel in the communes of Tinh Chau, Tinh An, Tinh Khe, Tinh Thien (Quang Ngai city). This is a citadel with outstanding architecture in the Cham citadel system in the Central region. Unlike neighboring provinces such as Binh Dinh, Phu Yen, Khanh Hoa, Cham cultural vestiges in Quang Ngai are more numerous. Although there are only a few vestiges such as foundations and foundations left, but no visible structures, this shows that the ancient Cham tower architecture is still a cultural mark present in today's modern urban life.

In recent years, the system of Cham cultural heritages has made a significant contribution to attracting tourists to the South Central region. In addition to the restoration, embellishment and preservation of the values ​​of the Cham tower system, the South Central provinces have promoted the construction of these relics into a spiritual destination, where one can feel the art of sculpture, architecture and Cham cultural identities accumulated over the years. The Cham towers have created unique tourism products in each locality. This contributes to creating a stronger breakthrough for the tourism industry in the South Central region in the coming time.

Ponagar Tower Festival recognized as National Intangible Cultural Heritage

Nha Trang is known as one of the top tourist cities in Vietnam. Coming here, visitors not only immerse themselves in the sea but also "step into" the Cham cultural space at Ponagar Tower. Every year, the Ponagar Tower Festival (from the 20th to the 23rd of the third lunar month) with many traditional cultural and religious activities has attracted tens of thousands of visitors from all over the world and about 100 folk dance groups of the Thien YA Na Thanh Mau worship to offer incense every year.

Mr. Tran Minh Triet, a tour guide in Nha Trang and also a resident of Khanh Hoa, said: Ponagar Tower is considered a connecting point for tours from beach resorts to visiting historical and cultural destinations when coming to Nha Trang. The tower is located in the center of Nha Trang coastal city, so visitors have many options for transportation such as taxis and motorbike rentals to get to this place. Ponagar Tower is currently the most unique Cham architectural complex in Vietnam today because of its Mandapa (vestibule). When visiting, visitors can observe the overall grandeur of the tower complex and feel most clearly the heroic history of the period when Hinduism was flourishing in the ancient Cham kingdom.

Traditional Cham dances are also a typical activity at Ponagar Tower in Nha Trang. This activity is usually held during the tourist reception hours of the day. Visitors will enjoy the charming and unique traditional Cham dances and musical instruments. In fact, Cham dances at Ponagar Tower always leave a good impression on visitors. “When watching Cham dances at Ponagar Tower, I feel very interesting and excited. The dances are very graceful and flexible. The music is inspiring. When coming here to watch Cham dances, I have a new feeling about Nha Trang, which is the cultural depth and traditional beauty next to the modern city”, shared Ms. Le Thi Ngoc Duyen, a tourist from Ho Chi Minh City.

Nhan Tower National Special Architectural and Artistic Relic is located in Ward 1, Tuy Hoa city, Phu Yen province.

In recent years, Phu Yen has gradually become an attractive tourist destination. In 2022, Phu Yen tourism is the top search keyword on Google. Every holiday and Tet, in addition to attractive tourist destinations such as Ganh Da Dia, Mui Dien - the place to welcome the first sunrise on the mainland of Vietnam..., Nhan Tower is also a place not to be missed in the tourist's journey. In 2022, Nhan Tower relic alone welcomed about 150,000 visitors.

Since 2013, Phu Yen province has realized that the tourism industry is still "poor" in cultural and spiritual tourism products, so it has promoted the construction of tours to Nhan Tower, at the same time forming cultural activities and performing arts in the surrounding area. The activities of the Thien YA Na Festival and the Nguyen Tieu Poetry Festival are organized on a larger scale; integrating the introduction of cultural, spiritual and tourism values ​​of Nhan Tower. The Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism of Phu Yen province has put Nhan Tower relic as the starting point for intra-provincial tourism routes; at the same time connecting Nhan Tower relic with other Cham-pa temple relics in neighboring localities to form a tourist route to visit the Cham-pa temple heritage in the Central region.

According to Mr. Ho Van Tien, Chairman of Phu Yen Province Tourism Association: The art performance at the foot of Nhan Tower has made this place more "dynamic" in the "quiet" space of the tower. Tourists can both admire the ancient beauty of the tower and enjoy Cham dances; stone musical instruments, stone trumpets; gongs, double drums and xoan dances. With this approach, the Nhan Tower tourist destination has left many good impressions in the hearts of tourists.

Very excited to have chosen an angle to take a photo with all family members and "embracing" the shape of Nhan Tower, Ms. Le Thi My Hanh, a tourist from Da Nang city, shared: She and her family and friends have traveled and vacationed in Tuy Hoa city many times and each time they visit Nhan Tower. This place has a beautiful, poetic location, the tower's scenery is quiet and majestic. Each time visiting at different times, different spaces have many very unique emotions. For example, on a full moon night, the scene is very poetic when the moon shines through the leaves; the moss layers on the old brick floor of Nhan Tower appear very beautiful...

Visitors view national treasures preserved and displayed at Binh Dinh Museum.

Coming to the land of martial arts Binh Dinh, visitors should spend at least one day to visit the "Cham tower tour" with 8 clusters, 14 towers in many different localities. Visitors can learn about the culture and unique architecture by themselves because most of the Cham towers have automatic QR codes. At the foot of the ancient towers, stories about the ancient capital on the land of Binh Dinh, about the heroic spirit of the Tay Son Tam Kiet army are very interesting and enough to "hold" visitors.

To ensure sustainable tourism activities at Cham towers, Binh Dinh province has had longer-term plans by encouraging travel agencies to build tours, routes, and specialized advertising publications on Cham towers; and restoring traditional Cham sculpture villages. The locality also plans to form craft villages based on ranked Cham cultural relics such as: Thanh Cha, Go Sanh ancient pottery kiln, Go Hoi ancient pottery kiln, etc. Sculptors are supported to develop their profession, gradually creating unique Cham souvenirs.

Ms. Nguyen Thi Xuan Lan, Vice President of Binh Dinh Province Tourism Association, also proposed that it is necessary to diversify services for tourists at Cham towers: Cham cultural exhibition (Cham costumes, some Cham artifacts, etc.); specialties, souvenirs, drinks, snacks, etc. bearing Cham cultural identity. With the existing values ​​of Cham towers, it is possible to combine development with other types of tourism such as: Resorts, conference tourism, research tourism, educational tourism.

National treasures are being preserved and displayed at Binh Dinh Museum.

Although there are only some traces left such as foundations and foundations but no visible structures, the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism of Quang Ngai province is also making efforts to restore the Chau Sa ancient citadel relic to connect it to intra-provincial tours with other destinations such as Ly Son island, My Khe beach, Son My relic site, etc.

In order for the Cham towers to not be silent but to attract more and more tourists, localities in the South Central region have "renewed" them in many different ways, suitable for the cultural space. The treasures of the Cham towers have contributed to creating attractive cultural tourism products, with their own identity for each locality. Moreover, it is also the appreciation and desire to pass on the precious treasures of our ancestors more and spread them further.

According to VNA