Mysterious ancient Champa architecture

With more than 70 architectural works of the Champa civilization, crystallized in the everlasting relics, containing historical, cultural, architectural and artistic values created over 9 centuries (from the 4th to the 13th century), My Son Sanctuary, located in a deep valley in the old forest of Quang Nam province, contains mysteries that surely everyone wants to visit to learn about the Cham cultural values that last forever.

Báo Sài Gòn Giải phóng•24/01/2025

With more than 70 architectural works of the Champa civilization, crystallized in the everlasting relics, containing historical, cultural, architectural and artistic values created over 9 centuries (from the 4th to the 13th century), My Son Sanctuary, located in a deep valley in the old forest of Quang Nam province, contains mysteries that surely everyone wants to visit to learn about the Cham cultural values that last forever.

Ancient architecture

This place used to be an important spiritual place, a spiritual support for the ancient Cham people, with unique works of art that are valuable to this day. Each brick and corner of the tower has unique historical and cultural values, and are wonders made by human power. Among the architectural forms of Cham towers, the architecture of a sanctuary complex like My Son is unique and rare. It is arranged in clusters of 2 or more towers. There are surrounding walls, courtyards, and paths connecting the towers. Each tower has its own function, concentrated in groups, in which the main temple is in the middle, each group is surrounded by quite thick brick walls. The main door of the main tower mostly faces East (towards the gods). Some main towers have additional doors facing West. In front of the main temple (Kalan) is a gate tower (Gopura) with a small structure of 2 connecting doors: one door facing East, one door facing the main temple, next to the gate tower is usually a long house (Mandapa) with a tiled roof, spacious inside, which is the place to welcome pilgrims and receive offerings as well as perform dances in worship ceremonies for the gods. Around the main temple are small temples or auxiliary works. The richest in the Cham cultural treasure in My Son is the system of statues of gods, monks, decorative motifs, plants, animals. Nature and the universe are in harmony and unity. All are meticulously and diligently created together with the temple structure, the ceremonial space marking religious rituals, worship, imbued with sacred reverence but still carrying the open character typical of the Champa soul.

The temple still stands after thousands of years, symbolizing a period of architectural development in the history of construction. The treatment of materials shows technical and aesthetic factors, durability calculations, firing techniques, construction ratios, and foundations showing the talented hands and minds of the ancients.

Although not as majestic as Angkor (Cambodia), Pagan (Myanmar), Borobudua Kala (Indonesia), My Son still has an important place in Southeast Asian art because it is the only relic site in the entire region that has continuously developed for nearly 9 centuries.

Graceful Apsara Dance

Mr. Kazimiers Kwiatkowski (Kazik), a talented Polish architect who has been associated with My Son for many years, once exclaimed: “The ancient Champa people put their spirituality into the soil and rocks and knew how to rely on nature to create a magnificent - solemn - majestic My Son. This is a priceless museum of architectural sculpture and art of humanity that it will take us a long time to fully understand.”

With a long history of development, My Son has become a land where artistic masterpieces and cultural quintessence are ignited. This is the convergence of many Cham architectural styles, a brilliant cultural treasure, a lively museum, carrying the aesthetic value of humanity. My Son art has shown that this is a land of cultural exchange.

My Son temple complex hidden in the jungle

Coming to My Son Sanctuary, you will not only be amazed by the majestic ancient towers but also immerse yourself in the Cham music space with the graceful Apsara dance, the spiritual product crystallized from a powerful empire, a culture that flourished hundreds of years ago. The religious dance praises the power of the god Siva, destroying dark forces such as tigers, snakes, and Muyalaca dwarfs. The dance fascinates and awakens all things. The dances are performed in the hazy space of smoke and mist, the ancient and silent My Son towers. And the soul of Champa only truly flares up, warms up when the charming, enchanting dance of the gods Siva begins on the ancient towers in sadness.