Binh Thuan Province announces the discovery of the Champa golden Linga as a national treasure.

From early morning, tens of thousands of Cham people in Binh Thuan province flocked to the Po Sah Inu tower in Phan Thiet city to attend the opening ceremony of the 2024 Katê festival. On this occasion, the Cham community was joyful and excited to see firsthand the national treasure, the golden Linga.

In Cham culture, the Linga is an important object of worship, a realistic depiction of the male genitalia, symbolizing the source of life and fertility. In Brahmanism, the Linga symbolizes Shiva, the god of destruction and rebirth.

The golden Linga, a national treasure of Binh Thuan province. Photo: Binh Thuan Provincial People's Committee.

According to Mr. Bui The Nhan, Director of the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism of Binh Thuan province, the golden Linga artifact was discovered during archaeological excavations at Po Dam Tower (Phu Lac commune, Tuy Phong district) in 2013. Through expert assessment, scientists confirmed that this is a solid gold Linga dating back to the 8th-9th centuries, the same period as the construction of the Po Dam tower complex. Since then, the golden Linga has been strictly protected at the Binh Thuan Provincial Museum.

The golden Linga, a treasure of great historical, cultural, and aesthetic value, weighs 78.36 grams, with 90.4% pure gold and the remaining 9.6% being silver and copper. This treasure is also an important scientific document, not only for archaeology but also for research into the history, culture, art, religion, metallurgy, and jewelry making of the Cham people in the past.

On January 18, 2024, the Prime Minister signed Decision No. 73/QD-TTg recognizing national treasures in the 12th batch - 2023. Among the 29 national treasures recognized in this batch, the golden Linga of Binh Thuan province was included. The Prime Minister's decision recognizing the golden Linga as a national treasure contributed to making this year's Katê festival even more solemn and heartwarming.

Venerable Thường Xuân Hữu, Chairman of the Council of Brahmanical Dignitaries in Bình Thuận Province, affirmed that the recognition of the golden Linga as a national treasure is a great honor and source of pride for the local Cham community. He also stated that they will strive to better preserve, protect, and promote this precious cultural heritage of their people.

Binh Thuan province held a ceremony to announce the Prime Minister's decision recognizing the golden Linga of the Cham people as a national treasure, and to inaugurate the Katê festival in 2024. Photo: Thuan Thang.

This year, the Katê festival of the Cham people in Binh Thuan took place over two days, October 1st and 2nd, with many traditional ceremonies and festivities rich in folk culture. After the opening ceremony, the Cham people carried the attire of the Goddess Po Sah Inư to the main tower, opened the tower doors, bathed the Linga-Yoni altar, dressed the people in the Linga-Yoni altar attire, and performed a grand thanksgiving ceremony to the Goddess Po Sah Inư, other deities, and their ancestors.

Katê is the oldest and most distinctive folk festival of the Cham people who follow Brahmanism in Binh Thuan province. It commemorates the gods and prays for favorable weather, bountiful harvests, harmonious relationships, and the flourishing of all living things. Beyond fulfilling the spiritual needs of the Cham people, the Katê festival also attracts many locals and tourists who come to study and enjoy the traditional culture of the Cham people, especially the activities within the festival.

Currently, Binh Thuan province has over 40,000 Cham people living there, concentrated in the districts of Ham Thuan Bac, Bac Binh, Tuy Phong, and Tanh Linh, etc. The living standards of the Cham people are improving, and therefore the Katê festival is also more prosperous. The festival takes place annually on the 1st day of the 7th month of the Cham calendar. On this occasion, not only Cham people in Binh Thuan but also Cham people living and working everywhere return to reunite and gather with family, friends, and relatives.

Source: https://toquoc.vn/binh-thuan-cong-bo-bao-vat-quoc-gia-linga-vang-cua-nguoi-cham-20241002162208405.htm