Discover the nearly thousand-year-old Cham Tower in the middle of Quy Nhon beach town

Performed by: Nam Nguyen | September 28, 2024

(Fatherland) - Located in the heart of Quy Nhon city (Binh Dinh), Twin Towers is one of eight ancient Cham tower clusters dating back nearly a thousand years, and is currently an attractive destination for domestic and international tourists.

Located on Tran Hung Dao Street (Dong Da Ward, Quy Nhon City, Binh Dinh Province), the Twin Towers, also known as Hung Thanh Towers, consist of two parallel towers. The northern tower is about 22m high, the southern tower is over 17m high.

According to documents kept at the Twin Towers Relic Management Board, the tower also has another name, Hung Thanh Tower, dating from the late 12th century to the early 13th century. This is a religious architectural work of the ancient Champa Kingdom. In the Cham language, the towers are called kalan, meaning mausoleums, which are places where kings built to worship gods. The gods worshiped here could be the god of destruction Siva, the elephant-bodied god of fortune Ganesha, or Buddhas, depending on the beliefs and respect of each king. However, ancient Champa society had a combination of royal power and theocracy, so many towers also worshiped Champa kings.

According to the staff of the Monuments Conservation Department (Binh Dinh Provincial Museum), based on the shape, structure, sculpture, construction materials..., researchers have classified the Twin Towers into the group of towers belonging to the Binh Dinh architectural style, dating from the late 12th century - early 13th century.

Besides the architectural elements of a traditional Cham tower, the Twin Towers also have a unique feature with large blocks, entrance arches and false doors rising like spearheads...

This structure is one of the most unique towers, consisting of two main parts: the lower part is a square body and the curved roof of the tower.

From the eaves up, the Twin Towers do not shrink into 3 levels, but instead are a system of many fake floors.

Each floor is signaled at the four corners of the tower by the image of the Garuda bird with its legs bent, using its strength to kick the corner of the tower wall, its two arms raised as far as possible as if supporting the weight of the upper floor of the tower.

In addition, the reliefs of mythical animals are influenced by Khmer art of the 12th-13th centuries.

It can be said that, among the ancient Cham towers remaining in Binh Dinh, the Twin Towers are one of the architectures most strongly influenced by Khmer culture, expressed in shape, decoration and the use of stone materials in the architecture quite a lot...

The special feature compared to the ancient Champa towers currently existing in Binh Dinh is that inside the Twin Towers there is a set of Linga - Yoni statues made of sandstone.

This set of idols is carved from a single block of sandstone, has a square base with a side of 1.86m, a height of 1.06m, and is restored from the original based on the drawings of a French researcher.

This is considered the source of creation, a vivid symbol expressing the fertility beliefs of the ancient Cham people, praying for all things to grow and flourish.

Nowadays, the Twin Towers are increasingly attracting domestic and international tourists not only because of the unique, sophisticated and sharp architecture of the Cham people, but also because this place leaves in the hearts of visitors special cultural values.

The dances of Cham girls are restored to serve tourists, making the experience more vivid.

According to the staff of the Twin Towers Relic Management Board, because it is the tourist season, on weekdays and weekends, there are 400-500 visitors coming to visit and experience.

Source: https://toquoc.vn/kham-pha-thap-cham-gan-nghin-tuoi-giua-pho-bien-quy-nhon-20240927230624717.htm