After one month of implementation, the archaeological excavation project in the eastern area of Tower K of My Son relic site (Duy Phu commune, Duy Xuyen) has revealed much valuable information, further confirming that My Son's underground still has many unsolved mysteries.
On March 1, 2024, the archaeological excavation project in the area east of Tower K was officially implemented by the My Son Cultural Heritage Management Board in coordination with the Institute of Archaeology (Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism), with a total area of 220m2 (exploration area of 20m2 and excavation area of 200m2 ). The duration is 2 months (ending on April 29).
On the excavation area, the foundation of a compacted dirt road (9m wide) leading to the My Son relic complex was initially discovered.
According to a project officer, it is currently impossible to determine the exact name, function of the road or its ultimate length (further research is needed), but the hypothesis about the main road that the ancient Cham people took to My Son has been firmly established.
“Although we did not discover many artifacts, some unusual points have appeared during the archaeological process, so we are continuing to research and find ways to explain them. However, we can confirm that this is the main road leading to the center of the ancient My Son relic site, not the road that tourists are taking today,” said the official.
Tower K dates back to around the 11th-12th century, built on a large, flat, high land. This is a single tower that is quite independent from other groups of towers. According to the description of French scholars in the early 20th century, Tower K is like a gate opening in the East-West direction and has brick walls. The reliefs include statues of 3 heads and 2 arms, a lion statue, the architecture has 2 gables, no stele inscription found.
If you enter My Son valley by Khe The stream or by road along the banks of the ancient Khe The stream, the first architectural work you will see is the K tower. Because of its special location, the tower's function is considered by experts to be the first station to welcome pilgrims.
In 2016 - 2017, Indian experts conducted exploration, excavation, archaeology and restoration of Tower K. This process revealed two surrounding walls of the approach road located to the east of Tower K leading to the main groups of temples in My Son valley. The exploration process also discovered some architectural components and pottery fragments, however, Indian experts did not continue to excavate further.
In early August 2023, the My Son Cultural Heritage Management Board coordinated with a working group of the Institute of Archaeology led by Dr. Nguyen Ngoc Quy to open 5 holes (each hole has an area of 4m2 ) to excavate and explore the area of tower group K.
In the eastern area (behind) of tower K, two traces of the northern and southern walls of the road running along the East-West direction were discovered. In the western area (in front) of tower K, three exploratory pits were opened, and traces of the foundation of the road leading from the outside to the tower entrance were discovered.
According to Cham culture researcher Le Tri Cong, based on the overall layout of My Son and ancient Cham beliefs, this could be a ceremonial path for the clergy, nobles, and royalty of Champa national park.
Specifically, the starting point is from tower K (gate tower - mandapa) and ends at tower group F or E. From here, there will continue to be other roads through groups G, A, B, C, D and can reach H in a clockwise direction (although group H still has many issues that need further research).
“This road may have existed before the 11th - 12th century (the K tower era), but the Cham people reinforced and expanded it to become stable as we see today,” Mr. Le Tri Cong speculated.
My Son was started by the Cham people in the 4th century and was continuously added with large and small towers in the following centuries, this process only ended when the land north of the Thu Bon River was annexed into Dai Viet territory (1306).
Since the beginning of the 20th century, when French scientists came to My Son to research, they discovered that there were 68 architectural works distributed in 8 clusters, each cluster had a main temple tower and auxiliary temples towers distributed in the center of the valley with a diameter of about 2km, the main axis is Khe The stream.
The discovery of traces of the path leading to the center of the relic further confirms that many mysteries about My Son still lie underground, and the ceremonial path in the K tower area is just one of them.
In 2019, the archaeological exploration of the Double House area (about 300m from the core of the relic) also discovered traces of ancient Cham civil works. Further in 2006, experts from the Institute of Archaeology also discovered many stone structures on the edge of Khe The stream (east of D1 and D2 towers), further proving that My Son still has many mysteries.
Mr. Nguyen Cong Khiet - Deputy Director in charge of the My Son Cultural Heritage Management Board said that after the project ends, the unit will propose to relevant levels and sectors to continue excavating the road to areas E and F to clarify the role and function of the road, aiming to preserve, promote values, and serve tourists.
Source: https://baoquangnam.vn/da-tim-ra-con-duong-nguoi-cham-xua-di-vao-my-son-3132105.html
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