My Son Holy Land (My Son Sanctuary) is considered one of the major centers of Hindu temples in Southeast Asia and is the only heritage of its kind in Vietnam.
My Son Sanctuary is located in Duy Phu commune (Duy Xuyen district, Quang Nam province), this is a complex of Cham temples situated in a valley about 2 km in diameter, surrounded by hills and mountains.
In 1999, UNESCO recognized My Son Sanctuary as one of the world’s cultural heritage. According to scientists, this Sanctuary can be built in the fourth century, and over the later centuries, new temples, towers were made to create the current complex.
The first temples made of wood but then burned down. In the early seventh century, King Sambhuvarman rebuilt the temple of bricks. The later kings continued to remodel and build new brick temples to worship with the gods.
The temples in My Son are made of red bricks. Decorative carvings have been cut directly into the slabs. Until now, scientists have not yet answered the technique of Cham Pa temples and materials to attach blocks that can be persistent for decades.
After the destruction of the Champa kingdom, My Son Sanctuary was in oblivion for centuries, and scientists discovered it in 1885.
My Son Sanctuary is a complex with more than 70 temple towers with many architectural styles that bear the characteristic of sculpture for each historical period of the Kingdom Champa.
French archaeologists divided the architectural works in My Son into 10 main groups: A, A ‘, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, K and name each building by matching letters and numbers.
There are six types of architectural styles here: ancient style, Hoa Lai, Dong Duong, My Son, Po Nagar, and the form of the Binh Dinh people. Most of the architectural works and sculptures in My Son are Hinduism influenced.
The whole Holistic Area consists of two hills, facing each other in the East-West direction and at the crossroads of a stream. The stream branches have become the natural boundary dividing this place into four areas A, B, C, D. Art, and architecture here have a significant influence on Indian style.
The Holistic Area consists of many tower complexes, and each compound has a central tower (Kalan) in the middle surrounded by many small auxiliary towers. The gate of the tower usually heads to the east to receive sunlight.
Monuments My Son Sanctuary has become a favorite spot for domestic and foreign tourists. The total number of visitors in 2019 to visit My Son Sanctuary is estimated at 420,906 visitors, the total revenue in 2019 is nearly 66 billion VND.
