Typical Values of Cham Cultural Heritage in Tourism Development

The works are created as a whole as when they were first built, but almost only one single work remains, especially the coastal relics of the Central region.

The Cham cultural heritages in the central region that remain to this day are a decisive condition for exploiting cultural tourism.

1.1.1.2. Cham cultural heritage in Khanh Hoa

Khanh Hoa is endowed by nature with beautiful scenery, a temperate climate all year round and a convenient traffic location for trade with neighboring regions. More specifically, this land plays a strategic position for defense; that is why from the very beginning, the Lam Ap people chose this place to establish the ancient Kingdom of Champa.

In Khanh Hoa, the Cham towers (Ponagar towers) are witnesses to the long historical period of the Champa Dynasty. These relics have contributed to the diversity of Khanh Hoa tourism, which can be classified into the following categories:

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- Historical relic and scenic complex of Ponagar Tower Nha Trang:

+ Introduction to the Po Nagar Tower relic: Yang Po Inư Nagar or Yang Po Ana Gar (Inư, Ana in Cham, Ede, Jarai means Female) (full name is Po Inư Nagar, also known as Po ANagar) is a Cham Pa temple located on the top of a small hill about 10-12 meters above sea level, at the mouth of Cai River (Nha Trang River) in Nha Trang, about 2 km north of the city center, now in Vinh Phuoc ward. The name "Po Inư Nagar Tower" is used to refer to the entire architectural work, but in fact it is the name of the largest tower about 23 meters high.

+ Construction history: Along with My Son Sanctuary in the North, Po Nagar Tower in the South is a brilliant architectural symbol of the Champa Kingdom. During the Panduranga Dynasty of the Hoan Kingdom, the Cham people built temples on Cu Lao Hill in Kauthara to worship the Goddess Po Nagar, the Mother of the Cham people, commonly known as Po Nagar Tower. The relic was built between the 8th and 13th centuries. This temple was built during the period when Hinduism was flourishing, when Po Nagar was also becoming the holy land of Southern Champa, from a Shiva temple, to the Mother of the Champa Kingdom, so the goddess statue has the shape of Uma, Shiva's wife.

Since the 17th century, the construction has been used and preserved by the Vietnamese as an indispensable part of their spiritual life. The temple complex has a particularly important position in the religious and spiritual life of the Cham people. Each construction contains the artistic quintessence of Champa culture. With its typical historical, cultural, scientific and artistic values, in 1979, the Ministry of Culture and Information (now the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism) ranked the Ponagar Tower relic as a national relic.

- Main architecture in the Po Nagar Tower complex:

The overall architecture of Po Nagar consists of 3 floors, going from bottom to top.

Lower level: At ground level was the gate tower, which no longer exists. From there, stone steps led up to the middle level.

Middle floor: There are now only two main rows of octagonal brick columns, each side has 5 columns with a diameter of more than 1 meter and a height of more than 3 meters. On both sides of the large columns are 12 smaller and lower columns, all located on a brick base more than 1 meter high. Based on this structure, it is believed that this was originally a large building with a tiled roof, where pilgrims could rest and prepare offerings before going up to the shrines above. From this middle floor, there is a steeper row of brick steps leading to the top floor.

Top floor: This is where the towers were built, right in front of the main tower. These stairs have long been unused. The laterite stairs seen today on the south side of the larger Po Nagar Tower were built in the 1960s due to increased tourism demand.

On the upper floor, there are two rows of towers surrounded by four stone walls, of which only the west and south walls remain. The front row of towers had three, and the back row originally had traces of three other towers, but now only one remains, running parallel to each other. The remaining four towers were built in the style of Cham towers, with bricks tightly joined together, with no visible adhesive. The interior of the tower is hollow to the top, and the tower door faces east. The exterior of the tower has many ledges, pillars, and brackets. On top of the pillars, bricks are often placed to decorate the tower with arched patterns, looking like a small tower placed on a large tower. On the body of the tower, there are also many statues and reliefs made of clay.

baked, including images of Po Nagar, god Tenexa, fairies, animals: deer, golden goose, lion...

The main worship tower in the front row is quite large and about 23 meters high, it is the Po Nagar tower, which we often call the Lady tower. Originally, it was a tower to worship the goddess Parvati, wife of Shiva. The main tower worships the goddess Po Nagar (Umar), wife of the god Siva. The Lady tower has 4 floors, each floor has a door, a statue of the god and a stone animal, at the 4 corners there are 4 small towers. Inside is a statue of the goddess (2.6 m high) carved from black granite (previously it was made of agarwood, and further away it was made of gold) sitting on a majestic lotus-shaped stone pedestal, with its back leaning on a large stone slab shaped like a Bodhi leaf. This is a masterpiece of Champa sculpture, a harmonious combination of round statue and relief carving techniques. The French took away the statue's head, now only the head is made of cement with a painted face. Scattered around the relic are some human and animal statues... On the top of the tower is a statue of Shiva riding the bull Nandin, and statues of sacred animals such as swans, goats, elephants, etc. The outer wall of the tower is decorated with stone carvings such as dancers, boatmen, rice millers or hunters with bows and arrows. The main door on the east side leads to a lobby, on both sides of the door are two stone pillars carved with legends, supporting a shield-shaped stone slab with a carving of the goddess Durga dancing between two musicians. Inside the tower is dark and cold. At the end of the tower is a stone altar below the statue of Lady Po Nagar with ten arms. The two lower hands are placed on the two knees, the other hands hold objects such as short swords, arrows, maces and spears on the right and bells, discs, bows and horns on the left.

Other towers worship: god Siva (one of the three supreme gods of Hinduism), god Sanhaka, god Ganeca (according to legend, the son of god Siva). Next to the main tower to the south about 20 meters is another tower that is smaller and less decorated with sculptures, about 12 meters high, possibly the tower worshiping god Shiva. Also to the south of this tower is an even smaller tower. Inside the tower there is no altar but only a linga (stone pillar), and this is the tower worshiping god Ganesha, the human body and elephant head, son of Shiva. Many authors believe that the linga is a phallic statue symbolizing Shiva, based on a Western interpretation that is slightly sexual. In fact, the typical linga is a low stone pillar with three different parts symbolizing three spiritual bodies: the part

The square at the bottom represents Brahma, the octagonal middle part represents Vishnu, and the circular top part represents Rudra (also known as Shiva). Therefore, it is more appropriate to call it a "spirit stone pillar".

In the rear tower row, there is a tower, relatively the least damaged on the northern side, with a long saddle-shaped roof. This type of roof was only seen in the towers of the Do Ban - Vijaya region (present-day Binh Dinh) after the capital was moved from My Son, Tra Kieu in the 11th century. On the walls are sculptures such as the Garuda bird god, lions, Apsara fairies, and the Naga snake god. It was under the base of this tower that during the renovation in the early 20th century, the French colonialists discovered and took away a hidden treasure of offerings made of gold and silver.

Today the other two towers to the southwest are in ruins. This distribution makes for an interesting comparison with the brick towers at Lolei, near Angkor Wat in Cambodia, which were built in the 8th century.

The Cham towers were built and restored over many periods from the 7th to the 12th century. Po Nagar Tower was probably built by King Harivarman I of the Hoan Kingdom around the years 813-817. Over time, the tower was damaged. During the French colonial period, the School of Far Eastern Archaeology organized restoration: using bricks to rebuild many parts and sculpting some statues on the tower body. During the war, many artifacts were stolen.

- The inscriptions

Po Nagar Tower still preserves many of the oldest Cham steles. Bergaigne, a French archaeologist, listed the steles chronologically as follows:

Group A: On the hexagonal stone stele, erected by King Satyavarman in 781, records the story of the tower being burned by pirates in 774, and the construction of the statue of Sri Satya Mukhalinga in 784.

Group B: Recorded by King Vikrantavarman III, the construction achievements of his predecessors.

Group C and Group D: King Vikrantavarman II recorded offerings to the gods.

Group E: Records the erection of a golden statue of Bhagavati (Po Nagar) by King Indravarman II in 918; this statue was later taken away by the invading Khmers, and replaced with a stone statue in 965.

The stone stele on both sides of the main tower's door records the offering of fields and slaves to the goddess. The stele on the south side of the main tower records the praise of the goddess Yang Po Nagar by King Jaya Harivarman I in 1178. The stele on the north side of the main tower records the construction of the temple to the goddess Bhagavati Matrilingesvara in 1256. In addition, there is a stone stele erected in 1050 by King Paramesvaravarman I recording the re-establishment of the statue of the Goddess, the offering of fields and slaves of various ethnicities: Campa (Cham), Kvir (Khmer), Lov (Chinese), Pukan (Ma), Syam (Siamese), etc. The stele erected in 1064 by King Rudravarman III (Che Cu) records the very expensive construction of the tower gate, and lists the valuable tributes. The stele in 1143 records the praise of the Goddess. The 1165 stele of King Indravarman IV recorded the offering of a golden crown to the goddess Bhagavati Kautharesvati (Based on this inscription, it can be roughly translated as "The Holy Mother of Kauthara" and compared with other steles, it can be guessed that the Cham people only worshiped the goddess Parvati as the Holy Mother of each locality; for example, in Phu Yen and Ninh Thuan, there were also towers worshiping the Holy Mother of that region, but not necessarily at the level of the whole country (Champa). The last steles in the 13th or 14th century continued to record offerings to Bhagavati.

Am Chua Cultural Historical Relic – Dien Khanh

Am Chua is a religious architectural work of the Vietnamese people worshiping Thien YA Na, whose origin is a goddess of the Cham people named Po Inư Nưgar (also known as Po Nagar) worshiped at the Po Nagar temple of Champa. The Vietnamese call her by many names: Ba Chua Tien, Ba Chua Ngoc, Thien YA Na Dien Ngoc Phi, Chua Ngoc Dien Phi, Chua Ngoc Tien Nuong (Chua Tien). However, the name Thien YA Na is the closest name and is most commonly used by the people "because the word Thien YA Na is originally transcribed from Po Inư Negara".

Am Chua is located on Dai An mountain, also known as Qua Son (Qua Lanh, Chua mountain, Cam mountain). Up to now, Dai An is the most popular name. Chua mountain is a mountain range, 284 meters high. Am Chua is located halfway up the mountain, 80 meters above sea level.

sea, located in Dai Dien Trung village, Dien Dien commune, Dien Khanh district, Khanh Hoa province.

Dai Nam Nhat Thong Chi recorded: “Dai Dien Mountain: located 11 miles north of Phuoc Dien district, commonly known as Chu Son Mountain, the mountain is lofty, with a circumference of more than a hundred miles. Legend has it that this is the place where Thien-y-a-na-dien-ba appeared, forbidding people from entering the mountain to gather firewood, the trees are dense, and often have sacred light shining down. In the 3rd year of Tu Duc, the name was changed to its current name and recorded in the worship book”. The entire landscape and terrain of Chua Temple is truly charming and in accordance with feng shui, with the terrain of “Tien Thuy, Hau Son”.

Up to now, there is no document that determines the specific time when Am Chua was built; however, according to the stories of local elders, Am Chua was originally a small hermitage located next to Dai An Son Tu (Dai An Pagoda) on Hoa Son mountain and after many renovations, the hermitage became the spacious place to worship Thien Y Thanh Mau as it is today. Although the small pagoda named Dai An no longer exists, the combination of Mother Goddess worship and Buddhist rituals is still intact and is a unique cultural feature of Am Chua.

The main tower worshiping Thien YA Na at Po Nagar Tower is in the North, and the Am Chua also chose the area north of Dien Dien to build a place to worship Thien YA Na. In the old Dai An village, there were four Dai Dien hamlets in the East, West, South and Central directions; and to the North was Dai An mountain.

The worshiping architecture system at Am Chua has many similarities with the architecture of communal houses in Khanh Hoa. The worshiping structure has a combination of worship and sacrifice similar to the religious architectural works in the province and this is a religious characteristic of the people of Khanh Hoa. The architectural works at Am Chua include: Tam Quan, the tomb of Mr. and Mrs. Tieu, Stele, Son Lam temple, Ngu Hanh temple, and the main hall.

The main hall was renovated for the third time in the year of Mau Tuat (1958), the fourth time in the year of Mau Thin (1988), and a major renovation in the year of Ky Suu (2009) with a three-room architectural style. If you only look at the outside, Chua Am is certainly not an ancient relic, but when entering inside, pilgrims will be immediately conquered by the worshiping arrangement system with the Lo set, the pairs of parallel sentences, and the horizontal lacquered boards that are delicately and sharply carved.

The first altar is the altar to worship the deity of the Tieu family. The altar of Thien Y Thanh Mau is splendidly decorated, the most concentrated point of the worship structure in the main hall; on both sides are the altars of the Six Fairies and the Twelve Fairies. On the left of the altar of the Holy Mother is the altar of the Four Princes and the Twelve Fairies, also known as the altar of the Boy (Prince Tri - the son of the Holy Mother); on the right is the altar of the Six Fairies and the Twelve Fairies, also known as the altar of the Girl (Princess Quy).

– daughter of the Holy Mother). All the altars in the main hall are made of precious wood, carved with delicate and unique patterns and motifs. The entire main hall has a truss-style roof structure, the main and secondary columns are made of precious wood of high value. Chua Temple also preserves two royal decrees bestowed by the Nguyen Dynasty kings.

2.1.2. Typical values of Cham cultural heritage in tourism development

+ Customs and practices of the Cham people in Khanh Hoa: The Cham people residing in Khanh Hoa province are only an ethnic minority. But looking back at history, the Cham people are the indigenous people of this land. Through the length and changes of history, the Cham people not only left behind physical heritages but also contained within them a spiritual value that helps the Cham people survive and develop to this day. One of those spiritual values is a chain that creates the lasting vitality of the entire Cham community, which can be mentioned as:

+ Beliefs and religions: The beliefs of the Cham people have existed since ancient times and bear the mark of primitive times - That is the belief of the Cham people in the existence of a supernatural world, where gods reign and also where demons and souls of objects in the mundane world exist after death. The Cham people always believe that all objects as well as people have souls and souls exist forever even when people die and objects are damaged. Souls, along with demons and gods, always have impacts, influence, and influence on the existing world, on the life of the community as well as on each member of the Cham community. The Cham people worship many gods such as the God of trees, the God of rocks, the God of water, and the souls of ancestors. The Cham people are a multi-religious community, religious beliefs always play a very important role in their psychological life, governing the cognitive activities, emotions, and will of each individual in the community. People

Cham people have very deep religious beliefs, closely influenced and bound by traditional religion.

The Cham people follow Hinduism, Islam, and Buddhism. The main religion during the time of the ancient Champa kings was Hinduism and the culture was deeply influenced by India. However, the so-called Brahmanism (ie Bahamism) today is completely unrelated to this Hinduism. Today, most Cham people follow Islam. There are two types of Cham Islam: 1. Bani and Bahamism, 2. Sunni Islam (belonging to the Hanafi sect). Bani and Bahamism are religions influenced by Shi'a Islam (Persia, Iran), they respect Ali as Muhammad. Sunni Islam does not accept respecting Ali as Muhammad. According to the Malay Chronicle (1614), the first Islam in the Malay world also originated from Iran, but later, Arabs from the Hadramaut region (called Hadrami) came to Malaysia to propagate and distort Shi'a Islam as a heresy, forcing the Malays to follow radical Sunni Islam in the late 18th - early 19th centuries. The Bani custom is a gentle, tolerant, non-extremist localized Islam. The Bani custom is similar to the Alewi sect (a Shi'a Muslim sect in today's Suri Republic). The route of the Bani custom from Iran has not been clarified, but many Malay and Java documents claim that Champa was the first center of Islamic propaganda in Southeast Asia. The Cham people living in Myanmar are numerous, and are one of the four largest ethnic groups in Myanmar. Most of them have the surname Aung, the same surname as the Ung of the Cham people in Vietnam (which has been Vietnamized).

+ Cham economic life: is an ethnic group with many long-standing traditional occupations such as embroidery, weaving, pottery, brick making, manufacturing production tools, trading, boat building, fishing, sculpture... especially wet rice cultivation was developed by the Cham people very early and always had improvements in varieties and irrigation. The Cham people live in the plains, have a tradition of mainly producing wet rice. The technique of intensive rice cultivation using varieties, fertilizers, and irrigation is quite proficient. Two famous handicrafts are pottery and cotton weaving. In the past, the Cham people did not plant trees in the village because they believed that trees would be a place for ghosts to live.

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