Posted on 08/09/2006 10:37:12 AM PDT by SunkenCiv
Vietnamese archaeologists discovered Thursday a complex of Cham-era towers in the central Quang Ngai province, the second in the area. The complex in Nghia Hanh district, comprising several ruined temples, is located at the foot of Dinh Cuong mountain in An Chi Tay hamlet, some one kilometer from a similar complex found last month. The Hindu Cham civilization dates back to the 7th century and reached its pinnacle in the 9th century in central Vietnam. The first complex, also including several temples – mostly destroyed with only their foundations remaining – with front gates facing the East, was discovered while digging for a new industrial park. The local government ordered postponement of the construction pending studies of the ruins. Many Cham towers still stand in Vietnam with the most significant being the My Son tower complex near the town of Hoi An.
(Excerpt) Read more at thanhniennews.com ...
Please FREEPMAIL me if you want on or off the
"Gods, Graves, Glyphs" PING list or GGG weekly digest
-- Archaeology/Anthropology/Ancient Cultures/Artifacts/Antiquities, etc.
Gods, Graves, Glyphs (alpha order)
Thien Truc
10-25-2006
A relic belonging to a Hindu civilization that flourished in Vietnam for over 1,000 years until the 18th century was discovered for the first time in Gia Lai province, local officials announced Tuesday.
Experts from the central highlands province’s Department of Culture and Information found a Champa tower thought to belong to the 14th-15thcentury hidden under a forest on a hill slope.
The structure, in Krong Pa district, measures 5-6.9 meters and has a damaged tower. Its central portion, possibly the sanctum, has a deep hole of one meter diameter with bricks around it.
The bricks are of different sizes but all of them weigh 14 kilograms and appear to have been baked to very high temperatures.
The tower was in danger of being inundated by the nearby KrongNang River, the department said.
The kingdom of Champa (or Chiem Thanh in Sino-Vietnamese records) controlled what is now south and central Vietnam from around the 7th century through 1832.
Their architecture and art, although influenced by the Hindu themes of India and Southeast Asia, have many elements that make them distinctive.
Reported by Thien Truc – Translated by Luu Thi Hong
Thanks Blam.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.
