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Binh Dinh inherits the distinguished Cham culture including well-known Cham towers with unique sculptures. The heritage has partly contributed to the unique features of Binh Dinh culture.
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Doi (twin) towers. Photo Hoang Hai
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Binh Dinh culture agencies have been greatly concerned with the restoration, preservation, and research of Cham architecture and sculptures for many years. After the national liberation, the Ministry of Culture appointed some Poland experts to study Duong Long towers in Tay Son district and Doi (twin) towers in Quy Nhon city for the restoration.
Vietnamese architects have been in charge of restoring these towers after Poland experts came back their country. Until now, Doi and Banh It (Silver) towers have been completely restored and as planned, Duong Long towers will have been restored by 2008.
However, what has been embellished is only the external appearance; meanwhile, immaterial characters also need a special concern. In fact, most tourists only visit Binh Dinh’s Cham towers once. Compared with Nha Trang’s Ponaga tower where there are annually thousands of tourists coming to take part in festivals and act of worship, it’s necessary to restore immaterial cultural characters of Binh Dinh’s Cham towers.
Cham people in Ninh Thuan province often call towers kalan or mon-ka-lan (kalan means royal tombs and mon-ka-lan means both tower and royal tombs). Similarly, Binh Dinh’s Cham towers are royal tombs or both towers and royal tombs. Worship or festivals, therefore, held in Binh Dinh’s Cham towers have no difference from those in Ninh Thuan’s Cham towers.
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The stone linga-yoni (male-female sexual organs) statue in Banh It (Silver) tower. Photo Nguyen Thanh Quang |
Fortunately, French archaeologists previously studied sacred relics worshipped in Cham towers. Thanks to their studies, Binh Dinh researchers collected a rather detailed plan of a linga, a symbol of god Siva, in the North tower of Doi towers.
Basing on French archaeologists’ studies, Binh Dinh Culture and Information Department has submitted the outline of linga-yoni statue for the approval of Cultural Heritage Agency so that it will be able to be restored and displayed in the tower before Tay Son-Binh Dinh festival is held by 2008.
The following step is to collect folk stories about sacred relics worshipped in towers. Thanks to this, the restoration can become more comprehensive and Binh Dinh’s Cham towers will be able to be more attractive.
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