Categories: Culture

Son Temple – the emblem of India-Vietnam civilizational ties that go back to 4th Century AD

<p>
<strong>India’s ties with far-flung regions are evident from written and oral history as well as monuments that showcase vibrant diplomatic, cultural and economic exchanges between two civilizational States.</strong></p>
<p>
While India and Vietnam signed an important and strategic “Joint Vision Statement on India-Vietnam Defence Partnership towards 2030”, ties between the nations go back to thousands of years before. This is evident from the ruins of My Son cluster of Hindu temples which were built between 4th and 13th Centuries and are located in central Vietnam.<iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/5XmaUaxwmg8" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe></p>
<p>
Dedicated to Lord Shiva – known by varied local names like Bhadreshvara – these were built by Kings of Champa. Situated in Duy Xuyen, an administrative district in Quảng Nam Province in Central Vietnam, these temples are 10 kilometres from the historic Champa capital of Trà Kiệu.</p>
<p>
<img alt="" src="https://www.indianarrative.com/upload/news/My_Son_Temple_Shiv_Lingam_1928_VertigoWarrior.jpg" style="width: 720px; height: 480px;" /></p>
<p>
<em>Shivling discovered in My Son Temple, Vietnam in 1928 (Pic. Courtesy Twitter/@VertigoWarrior)</em></p>
<p>
My Son was an important site for religious ceremonies conducted for the kings of the Champa while it also doubled as a burial place for the royalty and national heroes. Closely associated with Indrapura and Simhapura, the complex at one point of time had more than 70 temples and several steles with inscriptions in Sanskrit and Cham.</p>
<p>
The longest inhabited archaeological site in Indochina, My Son’s architecture was badly damaged during US bombing during the Vietnam War. The temple complex is one of the foremost in Southwest Asia and is compared with others like Angkor Wat of Cambodia and Wat Phou of Laos, etc.</p>
<p>
The UNESCO in 1999 recognized My Son as a world heritage site.</p>
<p>
<strong>Also read: <a href="https://youtu.be/C-5Sil7wMpQ">Open Court With Dr. KK Muhammed Ep 1: India's Lost Heritage And Artifacts | My Heritage My Pride</a></strong></p>

IN Bureau

Recent Posts

VINBAX 2024: Vietnam-India bilateral army exercise concludes at Kaushalya Dam

The fifth edition of the historic Indo-Vietnam Joint Field Training Exercise, VINBAX-2024, successfully concluded its…

9 hours ago

India-Russia strengthen defence ties at 22nd Working Group meeting on military technical cooperation

The 22nd meeting of the India-Russia Working Group on Military technical cooperation and defence industry…

9 hours ago

“I want to have strong representation of India at World Nuclear Exhibition 2025”: Sylvie Bermann

Sylvie Bermann, President of the World Nuclear Exhibition expressed confidence in India's nuclear supply chain…

10 hours ago

PoJK: Joint Awami Action Committee protests against government following new ordinance, many injured

Joint Awami Action Committee core member Shaukat Nawaz Mir has condemned the attack of police…

10 hours ago

PM Modi meets 31 world leaders, heads of organisations during his 3-nation foreign visit

Prime Minister Narendra Modi participated in 31 Bilateral Meetings and informal interactions with global leaders…

13 hours ago

India- Australia conduct 11th Indian Air Force-Royal Australian Air Force Air Staff Talks

India and Australia conducted the 11th edition of the Indian Air Force and Royal Australian…

13 hours ago