According to the report on the epigraphy of Champa announced by French scholars in 1932, Binh Dinh is the home of 19 epigraphies. The province has also seen a cylinder-shaped stele at the Doi (twin) towers and stone stele carved behind the back the statue of Phat Loi at Linh Son pagoda in Nhon Hai commune. Another epigraphy of Champa found recently is the Hai Giang stele in Nhon Hai commune.
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The Ba Dang cave
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Like the Thanh Son stele in Hoai Chau commune, the Hai Giang stele is a rock lying near the beach between two hamlets of Hai Giang and Hai Nam in the Phuong Mai peninsula.
The Phuong Mai peninsula is a mountain range stretching endlessly. Its southern and eastern parts face the sea, the western part borders on the Thi Nai lagoon, and its northern part and Phu Cat district are bordered by a 5-km sand dune.
The peninsular witnessed many historical ups and downs. Under the Ly dynasty (1010-1225), Uy Minh Vuong Ly Nhat Quang and his troops garrisoned Tam Toa located under the mountain in the southwest of the peninsula, helping the King of Siam quell the revolt. The King of Siam then had the Tam Toa temple built there to commemorate him.
Some Champa cultural relics have been found in Hai Giang in recent years, particularly the statue of Phat Loi (the statue of Bohisattva). Also, other Champa relics were unearthed here, such as Go Luon, U Dam Be, Gieng Hoi mound, where many bricks and pottery items were found.
The Hai Giang stele is a large rock projecting into the sea. It has a height of 5 meters and a length of 10 meters, forming a small cave called Ba Dang. The local elderly people said a woman call Dang had been found dead here, so her name was used to name the cave.
The epigraphic letters are carved on the top of the cliff which is 5 meters in height and divided into two parts. One part on which there are three lines of letters has the width of 60 cm and the other 10-cm wide part has 4 lines of letters. According to experts, like Ca Xom and Thanh Son steles found in Vinh Thanh and Hoai Nhon respectively, the Hai Giang stele was carved with Champa ancient letters.
Lying near the sea, the letters on the stele have faded a little due to the waves breaking on the shore. After being found, it has been preserved for further studies.
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