Myson Holy-land

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 2^nd or 3^rd 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.

For a long time the area wits overgrown With bushes and wild grass. In 1898, it French scholar named M.C. Paris came .and cleared it. He described My Son as a forest of towers. In 1901, the Far East Institute sent its men to do research and in 1904 in a report H. Parmantier said that the valley was popu- with 75 towers, both large and small, some of which were only rubble. Since 1937, restoration work has start on some of the towers.
In the My Son temple complex, the section known as A I is the most magnificent. Its main tower spans three floors and stands 241m high. The first floor is smaller than the next and on top of the structure a lotus flower and many reliefs in terracotta are carved - statues of dancing girls with an orchestra, a midra drum, horn trumpet and flute. The main towel- faces the rising sun in worship of Shiva. Across the entrance, a relief depicts Shiva dancing a universe dance, symbolising the strength and supple of space. Six other smaller towers face the main towel-, worshipping the gods Shivu and Brahmin. There are also other temples, including the Goropa gate which is built in the form of a tower.

Inside each temple, a base - comprising a Linga - is usually placed. The Linga is made of stone and embellished with Cuts to symbolise the male genitalia. It is then placed on a stone slab, known as a Yoni, meant to symbolise the female genitalia. The structure symbolises the god Shiva. It is constructed Out of stone to depict a long existence and Multiplication. It is a non-idol form of art in accordance with the concept of "sacred nature " born before Christ.

This concept meant that when talking about Buddha generally only the Buddha's footprints, or an ancient tree or a flower were described. It differed from the present day notion which has Buddha represented by a statue in human form. Only later were Linga made into the form of a bust, like the bust Of King Po Klaung Garai, making the structure identical to the God-King'
The base is where the bust of Shiva stands decorated with many intricate reliefs which depict religious stories. Among the illustrations are Queen Maya giving birth in the Lumbini garden and the crown prince Sidharth shooting an arrow to propose marriage. But the most eye-catching is Saint Shiva, depicted with a third eye in the middle of his forehead, two hands stretching Out in front, a slender waist and a Moustache that makes him look as if he is smiling. How beautiful it is!
After 1975, Polish architects and heritage specialists helped Viet Nam with a 10-year pro ject - staged between 1980 and 1990 - to make it contribution to restoring My Son. Kadimie Koviakowski, a devoted architect, together with his associates and colleagues used defracted Roent- rays and ultraviolet measurement to study the bricks and mortar used by the ancient Chain people.
Scholars from many Countries, including the United States, visited My Son and all were astounded that the tower was constructed of bricks. They were amazed that the Chain people Could chisel patterns on bricks in Such detail and puzzled as- to why the bricks wore Out gradually but could not be separated. They believed that the Cham were the world masters of the art of building with bricks.
The temple complex at My Son is being restored step-by-step, with work done by Vietnamese anh international architects. With ongoing scientific research, the age-old complex looks set to see many more generations.