My Son, A testament to the grandeur of the Champa Kingdom

My Son ruins, My Son Sanctuary, Duy Phu, Quang Nam Province, Vietnam

"The Angkor temples of Vietnam's My Son Sanctuary."

4.1

Introduction

My Son is the largest ancient religious site of the Champa kingdom in Vietnam, comparable to the Borobudur site in Indonesia and the Bagan temples in Myanmar. From the 4th century onwards, Hindu temples were built in My Son, and the Cham people continued to expand the site in the following centuries, making it a religious sanctuary of the Champa kingdom. However, after several wars, only about 20 fragmented ruins of varying sizes remain. Despite the overall dilapidation, the site still showcases the Cham people's carving art and religious beliefs. The most common sculptures found in the carved doorways on the walls are statues of goddesses, as well as some sculptures depicting elephants and reproductive organs, which were revered in Cham religion. Among the remains, there is a large tower without its peak that contains a rich collection of stone carvings depicting scenes of singing and dancing, multi-armed gods, altars, mythical creatures, and various animals. In 1999, My Son was designated as a UNESCO World Heritage site in order to preserve this longest-standing sacred site in Southeast Asia.