The Profound My Son Sanctuary

According to the Quang Nam Province Electronic Information Portal, in 1898, a Frenchman named MC Paris discovered the temple complex hidden in a narrow valley, amidst dense forests. Not long after, scientists from the French School of the Far East came to study the inscriptions and architectural and sculptural works in My Son.

They were also the ones who lifted the veil of secrecy about My Son and showed that this is the most magnificent and typical religious relic of the Cham people, built continuously for more than 1,000 years.

Started in the 4th century by King Bhadravarman (reigning from 349 - 361) and completed in the late 13th century, early 14th century under the reign of King Jaya Simhavarman III (Che Man), My Son is a complex of more than 70 temples and towers with many architectural and sculptural styles representing each historical period of the Champa kingdom.

Most of the architectural works and sculptures at My Son are influenced by Hinduism. The temples and towers mostly face east - the direction of the rising sun, the abode of the gods; except for a few towers facing west or both east and west, expressing the thoughts of the kings towards the afterlife after they were deified and to show their nostalgia for their ancestors.

Devastated by war, by 1975, My Son had only 32 structures left, of which about 20 still retained their original appearance. Unfortunately, the largest structure, the 24m high A1 tower, with 6 surrounding sub-towers, this tower was considered a masterpiece of Cham architecture and was destroyed by American bombs in late 1969.

The main temples in My Son worship a set of Linga or an image of the god Siva - the protector of the Champa kings. The god worshiped in My Son is Bhadravarman, the king who founded the first kingly line of the Amaravati region in the 4th century, combined with the name of the god Siva, becoming the main belief in worshiping gods - kings and royal ancestors.

On April 29, 1979, the Ministry of Culture and Information (now the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism) issued Decision No. 54VH/QD recognizing My Son as an architectural and artistic relic. The My Son relic site was officially recognized as a World Cultural Heritage by the UNESCO World Heritage Committee on December 1, 1999.