The Cham people are an ethnic minority community that has lived in Binh Thuan for a long time. Throughout history, they have created many tangible and intangible cultural values with their own unique identities, contributing to the enrichment and diversity of Binh Thuan and the country's culture.
Recently, when the Golden Linga was recognized as a National Treasure, it further enriched the collection of Cham cultural heritages in Binh Thuan.
In 2013 - 2014, the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism of Binh Thuan coordinated with the Southern Institute of Social Sciences to organize an archaeological excavation at the Po Dam Cham tower group, in Lac Tri village, Phu Lac commune, Tuy Phong district.
In particular, this place discovered a golden Linga and many other valuable artifacts such as a yoni pedestal, a grinding table; musical instruments such as bells, cymbals, rattles, cymbals, bronze mirrors, axes, spears, along with a large amount of roof tiles and many broken ceramic relics from various types of objects (pots, jars, bowls, cups, plates, pots, etc.).
These artifacts contribute to affirming the historical, cultural, religious and phallic worship values of the Cham people at the Po Dam tower relic.
The golden Linga found dates back to around the 8th-9th century. It is a unique, rare original artifact with a unique form and historical, cultural and aesthetic value.
Linga is a symbol of the fertility of all things and species, specially crafted, weighing 78.36 grams, with 90.4% gold and the remaining 9.6% silver and copper.
Collection of Cham cultural heritages in Binh Thuan.
The Golden Linga was reviewed, appraised and submitted to the Prime Minister for recognition as a national treasure by the National Cultural Heritage Council. On January 18, 2024, the Prime Minister signed Decision No. 73/QD-TTg on the recognition of national treasures in the 12th phase - 2023. Among the 29 national treasures recognized in this phase, there is the Golden Linga of Binh Thuan province.
Monk Thuong Xuan Huu, Chairman of the Council of Brahmanical dignitaries of Binh Thuan province, said that the recognition of the golden Linga as a national treasure has great significance, not only bringing national pride and encouraging people but also educating generations of Cham people to appreciate the traditional values of the nation.
According to antique collector Nguyen Ngoc An, the golden Linga has a profound and special meaning to the Cham people. Not only is it unique in terms of its crafting and copy, but the place where the golden Linga was discovered is also very special. Normally, Cham towers are located in the East, but Po Dam tower is located in the South; Cham tower relics are usually on mountains, but Po Dam is located at the foot of the mountain.
Most notably, the gold Linga was discovered to date back to the 8th - 9th century, the glorious period of Cham culture with gold accounting for more than 90% of pure gold. This is the first gold Linga in the world 1,200 years ago that artisans were able to make.
Mr. Bui The Nhan, Director of the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism of Binh Thuan province, said that the golden Linga artifact was discovered in the geological strata during the archaeological excavation process, containing important scientific information, of great value for research and awareness of cultural and historical issues related to the Po Dam relic in particular and Cham culture in general.
The national treasure Golden Linga is an important scientific document not only for archaeology but also has great value in the study of history, culture, fine arts, religion, metallurgy, goldsmithing... of the Cham community in the past.
Preserving and promoting the values of Cham people's heritage.
The discovery of the Linga treasure bears the mark of history, culture and life of over 40,000 Cham people living in localities in Binh Thuan province.
According to Mr. Bui The Nhan, Director of the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism of Binh Thuan province, in order to manage, protect and promote the value of the national treasure Golden Linga, in the coming time, the Department will step up propaganda and promotion to raise awareness among cadres, party members and people about the value, meaning and importance of national treasures. Thereby, enhancing responsibility in coordinating the implementation of protection, preservation and promotion of the value of national treasures. At the same time, the Department will strengthen the management, protection and promotion of the value of the national treasure Golden Linga through display, exhibition, promotion on websites and media to propagate and promote cultural heritage and national treasures, meeting the needs of people and tourists for sightseeing, research and learning.
The national treasure Linga made of pure gold of Binh Thuan province, dating back to the 8th - 9th century, is a unique, rare original artifact with a unique form and historical, cultural and aesthetic value. Photo: Nguyen Thanh/VNA.
Associate Professor, Dr. Bui Chi Hoang, member of the National Cultural Heritage Council, assessed that Binh Thuan is a place that preserves many valuable artifacts, antiques, and documents on the history, culture, and art of the Cham people. The province currently has two valuable tangible heritages: the Po Sah Inư tower architecture and the Po Dam tower.
The province also has a system of intangible cultural heritages such as Kate festival, traditional pottery making techniques... along with a cultural system closely associated with the life of the Cham community. This is a very strong advantage of Binh Thuan in preserving, exploiting and promoting cultural values in tourism development.
Binh Thuan currently has 4 cultural heritages included in the National Intangible Cultural Heritage List. Two of them are cultural heritages of the Cham people. The preservation and promotion of Cham cultural heritage values are always of interest to Binh Thuan, enriching and diversifying the culture and promoting local tourism.
Since 2010, the Binh Thuan Province Cham Culture Exhibition Center has been operating and has surveyed and researched the Cham culture and the cultures of other related ethnic groups through cultural exchange and acculturation over the periods.
Up to now, this place preserves more than 1,500 artifacts, antiques and 5 sets of ancient documents of historical value, clearly reflecting the spiritual and material life of the Cham people past and present.
Recently, Binh Thuan has focused on building tours and tourist routes connecting the Cham Cultural Exhibition Center with relics, the Cham Royal Open Warehouse, Binh Duc pottery village with scenic spots to create new attractions to attract tourists.
Binh Thuan enhances the introduction of typical cultural heritage and folk arts of the Cham people through organizing exhibitions, introducing cultural topics, relics associated with relics, and performing music and folk dances to widely introduce to the public and tourists.
At the same time, the province creates conditions for intellectuals, prestigious people, and Cham artisans to focus on researching and developing the language, writing, and traditional crafts of the people...
Associate Professor, Dr. Bui Chi Hoang said that in the coming time, Binh Thuan needs to continue to promote and highlight its existing values, to receive more attention from the community, not only from researchers but also from domestic and foreign tourists.
To do so, Binh Thuan needs solutions to connect heritage, pay attention to exploiting cultural industries, and make culture a driving force and pillar of development...
Source: https://danviet.vn/bao-vat-quoc-gia-o-binh-thuan-la-mot-cai-linga-champa-bang-vang-rong-sang-ruc-hiem-co-kho-tim-20241013173442938.htm
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