Quang Nam Indian experts will restore three gates and walls of the Dong Duong Buddhist monastery relic site, built in 875.
Mr. Phan Van Cam, Director of the Quang Nam Monuments and Landscapes Management Board, said that at the end of June, five experts from the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) will come to Dong Duong Buddhist Monastery in Binh Dinh Bac Commune, Thang Binh District, for a month to measure the foundation, prepare design documents, and restore the relic. The project to preserve and restore Dong Duong Buddhist Monastery is expected to be implemented in 2024. ASI will simultaneously conduct archaeological excavations and restore the architectural structure of the main gate and two side gates.
Previously, at the end of April, a group of ASI experts came to survey and make an initial assessment of the current situation and orientation for the conservation and restoration of Dong Duong Buddhist Monastery. The experts agreed to restore and rebuild one main gate, two side gates and the walls on both sides. This will help restore the appearance and scale of the relic, without affecting the archaeological excavation and restoration of the Sang Tower inside.
The main gate of Dong Duong Buddhist monastery will be restored based on the drawings of French scientist H.Parmentier in the early 20th century. Photo: Quang Nam Monuments and Landscapes Management Board
According to the original design, the main gate is located right at the entrance of the Buddhist temple with a construction and renovation volume as large as four normal Champa towers. This will be the highlight of the entire Buddhist temple, a typical symbol of the cultural exchange between Vietnam and India, the mark of Champa Buddhism and the Southeast Asian region in the medieval period.
Two smaller, similarly-architected side gates are located inside the Buddhist monastery, which divides three areas: the Sangha (where new students live); the lecture hall; and the main hall (where the main shrine is located).
A side gate redrawn by French scientist H. Parmentier in the early 20th century. Photo: Quang Nam Monuments and Landscapes Management Board
According to the stele found in Dong Duong village, the Buddhist temple was built by King Indravarman II in 875 to worship the Bodhisattva who protected the dynasty, Laksmindra - Lokesvara.
In the early years of the 20th century, French scientists excavated hundreds of sculptures, most of which are on display at the Da Nang Cham Museum. The most prominent is the bronze Buddha statue over one meter high, considered a masterpiece of Champa sculpture in Southeast Asia.
In 1902, researcher H.Parmentier excavated Dong Duong Buddhist monastery. According to H.Parmentier's description, the entire main temple area and the surrounding towers are distributed on an axis from west to east, about 1,300 m long. The main temple area is located in a rectangular area 326 m long, 155 m wide, surrounded by brick walls. From the main temple area, there is a road about 760 m long running east to a rectangular valley.
Archaeologists have discovered traces of the main hall, the brick foundation of the monks' quarters, and the lecture hall connected together on a large perimeter. Tiles used to cover the construction areas were also found scattered around, proving that this was a closed Buddhist monastery model that was ideal for training talented monks.
Dong Duong Buddhist Monastery still has the remaining Sang tower, supported by iron pillars to avoid the risk of collapse. Photo: Dac Thanh
During the war, the Buddhist temple was destroyed, now only the wall of Sang tower, the foundation of the architectural work and some buried decorations remain. Many artifacts found at Dong Duong Buddhist temple have been recognized as national treasures, currently on display at the Da Nang Museum of Cham Sculpture.
In early December 2019, Dong Duong Buddhist Monastery was recognized as a special national monument. At the end of 2022, Quang Nam approved a project to preserve and promote the value of the relic site with an investment capital of more than 5 billion VND.
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