Impressive space of "Binh Thuan Cham Cultural Heritage Exhibition"

BTO-Every July 1st of the Cham calendar, the Cham community in Binh Thuan province makes a pilgrimage to Po Sah Inư tower to attend the Kate Festival. This year, in the festival space at the foot of the tower, the Provincial Museum has arranged an exhibition space on “Binh Thuan Cham Cultural Heritage Exhibition – National Treasure Golden Linga, 8th – 9th century”.

Cham Cultural Heritage Photo Exhibition

The exhibition space is divided into sections such as: The excavation process of some Cham temples and towers; images of excavation at Po Dam tower discovering the golden Linga; introduction of the National Treasure of the golden Linga; typical Cham artifacts of Binh Thuan. In addition, there are 30 typical artifacts discovered during archaeological excavations, accidentally discovered by gardeners; traditional cakes made during holidays and Tet...

Space at the exhibition booth

Binh Thuan currently has 4 cultural heritages included in the National Intangible Cultural Heritage List. Among them are 2 cultural heritages of the Cham people, namely the Kate Festival of the Cham people following Brahmanism and the pottery making profession in Binh Duc village, Phan Hiep commune (Bac Binh). The preservation and promotion of Cham cultural heritage values ​​have always been of interest to the locality, contributing to enriching and diversifying the culture of the province in particular and Vietnam in general, promoting tourism activities. Notably, in the 12th recognition of national treasures in 2023, Binh Thuan has 1 treasure related to Cham cultural heritage. That is the golden Linga discovered during an archaeological excavation at Po Dam tower (Phu Lac commune, Tuy Phong district) in 2013.

Po Dam Tower before restoration, where the golden Linga was discovered (photo from the Provincial Museum)

Through appraisal, scientists confirmed that this is a pure gold Linga dating back to around the 8th century - the same period as the construction of the Po Dam tower group. Compared to the gold Lingas discovered in Champa or Oc Eo cultural relics, the gold Linga in Po Dam is much larger in size, weight and gold content. However, the main value of the Linga in Po Dam does not lie in the 78.3630g of pure gold but in the structure of the Linga, its origin, age, rarity and craftsmanship.

The Provincial People's Committee has issued a plan to manage, protect and promote the value of this national treasure. At the same time, it will organize a ceremony to announce the Prime Minister's decision on recognizing the national treasure (phase 12) in conjunction with the opening of the Kate Festival 2024 taking place at the Po Sah Inư tower relic tomorrow morning (October 2).

Traditional gingerbread is an indispensable dish in Cham festivals.

At the exhibition booth, there are artisans performing the traditional brocade weaving craft of the Cham people.

Therefore, the on-site photo exhibition space taking place from October 1 to 6 will contribute to raising people's awareness and actions in preserving and conserving cultural heritage in general and national treasures in particular, as well as meeting the cultural enjoyment needs of people and tourists.

Source: https://baobinhthuan.com.vn/an-tuong-khong-gian-trien-lam-di-san-van-hoa-cham-binh-thuan-124487.html