Chot Mat Ancient Tower - Imprint of Oc Eo culture

According to archaeological documents, Chot Mat tower was built around the 7th - 8th century AD. The tower was discovered in the early 20th century and quickly attracted the attention of researchers because of its architectural values and unique artifacts remaining. Through many excavations here, archaeologists found traces of two brick towers located on the North - South axis.

Chot Mat ancient tower (Southern tower) after many restorations and embellishments

The current southern tower area was severely damaged and was restored and embellished based on the 1993 relic records: the tower was built on a flat, raised ground, the tower's surface is square, the top of the tower is more than 10m high, the tower walls face 4 directions: East - West - South - North, the main door faces East, the remaining 3 sides are all fake doors.

Approaching the tower, visitors can easily recognize the unique designs that show the talented hands of the ancients. The steps leading from the main door to the inside are built in protruding steps and layers, giving the structure angular lines. On the body of the tower, the embossed reliefs and decorative stone statues, although many parts have been eroded by time and are sometimes misaligned, still evoke the sophisticated beauty and spirit of the Oc Eo civilization.

The contrasting colors between moss and silence and freshness and brilliance do not make the ancient Chot Mat tower lose its solidity and elegance, but rather make it more ancient and mysterious.

The northern tower area now only remains ruins. On the surface of the relic, many Yoni stone artifacts, Yoni pedestals are scattered and many other stone artifacts fragments were discovered in the northern excavation pit. These evidences not only confirm that this was once an important religious center of a once glorious empire in the past but also contribute to a clearer reconstruction of the cultural and religious life of the ancient community that once lived in Tay Ninh land.

A nearly original restored relief on the tower

The typical value of Chot Mat tower was recognized by the State when the Ministry of Culture - Information (now the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism) ranked it as a national architectural - artistic relic on July 23, 1993. After a long time of being exposed to the sun and rain, the tower inevitably deteriorated.

Realizing the increasingly obvious risk of damage, Tay Ninh province has carried out many restoration and embellishment campaigns with the goal of protecting heritage in a sustainable manner, while creating conditions for tourism development associated with historical and cultural education .

In 2023, implementing the National Target Program on Socio-Economic Development in Ethnic Minority Areas - Project on Preserving and Promoting the Good Traditional Cultural Values of Historical Relics Associated with Tourism Development with the goal of preventing degradation of Chot Mat Tower, the Provincial People's Committee agreed on a number of contents to restore and embellish the tower.

The ancient tower restoration project was implemented with a total budget of more than 1.1 billion VND. Accordingly, the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism upgraded and repaired the tower shelter, guard house, toilet; built a new drainage system around the tower and fence; replaced broken panels; reinforced the gate and fence that had sunk unevenly with a concrete system.

In addition, the electricity and water systems serving the daily life of employees and visitors have also been renewed, ensuring safety and convenience.

Many Yoni stone artifacts and Yoni pedestals are scattered in the ancient tower area.

These positive changes have made the appearance of the relic more spacious and clean. In recent years, thanks to the upgraded access road to the relic and the increasingly focused promotion work, the number of visitors to Chot Mat Tower has tended to increase sharply. Not only the people in the province, many tourists from neighboring provinces, overseas Vietnamese and foreigners also come to admire this unique ancient architectural work.

Ms. Nguyen Thi Vui and Mr. Duong Quang Tuan - overseas Vietnamese from the US who returned to visit their homeland, shared that they learned about the tower through relatives and were surprised by the ancient beauty, the quiet space and the sacredness of this place. For them, witnessing a relic that is more than a thousand years old right in their homeland is a very special experience.

Chot Mat Tower also attracts international tourists. Malte and Jo - two German tourists working in Ho Chi Minh City, chose this place as the first stop on their 4-day journey to explore Tay Ninh. Both were impressed by the peaceful scenery and ancient beauty bearing the mark of time. They shared that this was the first time they had seen such an ancient architectural work, and the feeling of standing in the quiet space of the tower left them with many unforgettable emotions.

The collapsed north tower is preserved under a roof.

Along with the attention of tourists, the staff who take care of and protect the relic also contribute to keeping the area clean and beautiful. Ms. Nguyen Kim Anh, who has been in charge of cleaning the landscape for the past 6 years, said that on sunny days or weekends, many local people bring their children here to walk. The space around the tower brings a sense of peace, a place for people to find tranquility after a day of work.

Bearing the mark of more than a millennium, Chot Mat Ancient Tower is not only a precious heritage of Tay Ninh but also a living proof of cultural exchange in the South.

Preserving and promoting the value of relics not only helps preserve the memories of our ancestors but also opens up the potential for developing cultural and historical tourism in the border area. In the modern flow, the ancient tower still stands there, humble but majestic, telling the story of an ancient civilization, inviting visitors from near and far to listen and feel./.

Khai Tuong

Source: https://baolongan.vn/thap-co-chot-mat-dau-an-nen-van-hoa-oc-eo-a207500.html