Hoi An and My Son
Hoi An is an ancient city in Central Vietnam, with a gold and black sand beach that stretches almost to Danang about 40km away. It is a delightful old town right on the river with bridges to a number of islands including Cam Nam, where local craftsmen still chisel, polish, carve and ferment their various trade products. In the evening, yellow and red lanterns are lit along the river banks and the night market areas. Large paper animals, lions, dragons and turtles have lights inside so that they appear to have life radiating from them that protects the people from the dangers of the dark. Even with all the crowds of tourists, it is a wonderful place to spend a couple of days. The South China Sea water was too cold for swimming in mid-February, but it wasn’t too cold to wade in as I walked along a long stretch having the waves at first lap at my feet and then crash over my thighs. Along the way, there were large, ca. 5 1/2ft. in diameter and about three ft. high woven saucers that were filled with fishing nets. I had not seen this kind of boat before, but it appears to be very practical as the saucer balances in the waves better than a canoe might.
As wonderful as Hoi An is, the main reason for coming to this region was to see the capital of the ancient Cham Culture, My Son (pronounced Mee Soan). The site remained intact until a U.S. helicopter attack in 1968 devastated the structures and the surrounding area in an attempt to rout out the Viet Cong (North Vietnamese Army) who were hiding in the temples. Now, only a small portion of the nearly 100 former residences, palaces, temples and towers remain. UNESCO has been instrumental in helping with the reconstruction of a few of the buildings and while there we could see some of their progress on current projects, including one right next to a very large bomb crater. My Son was a major site then capital for the Champa from about the 3rd to 13th C. In the 13th C the Mongol invasions finally destroyed the empire that until that time had fought off the Khmers, Chinese and Vietnamese. The area officially became part of Vietnam in the 17th C and today there are no more Champa living in the region; they all went further south. The archeological site today lies amid lush foliage at the foot of ‘Cat Tooth Mountain’ which was the Champa’s sacred mountain, from which the Holy Water came.
The Champa were Shiavite Hindus, and Shiva Linga are still scattered throughout the ruins. Holy water from the sacred mountain was taken to a basin near one of the main temples in an area now known as Area B. (The ruins are identified by Areas A-L.) This water was used during the pujas, sacrificial offerings, to honor Shiva through the Shiva Lingum. As the water originated from the mountain to the South, the yoni shaft where the water drains points to the North, which for the Champa was associated with prosperity. The temples open to the East to welcome the rising sun and the West was traditionally associated with the setting sun of life and cremation pyres. The My Son structures were built by the 78 kings during the 14 dynasties of the longest-standing empire in this region.
Luckily, most of the reliefs and statuary were removed from the site prior to the American bombing and taken to the Danang Cham Museum. A few remnants are still visible on the facades, but they are mostly quite damaged. Some of the statuaries show Shiva with a cobra around him, but in a more natural cross-legged posture than in Indian art. He also has a bit more flesh on him than his Indian counterpart, and he wears a Champa skirt rather than the loincloth. Parvati and Lakshmi appear to often be intertwined and also sit in comfortable cross-legged positions holding lotus flowers in both upraised hands. Ganesha images were also commonly found along with a few of Vishnu and some tableaus of Vishnu birthing Brahma. In the museum in Danang, I was surprised to see a standing Ganesha in Khmer attire until reminded that the Khmer did take over the Champa empire for about 16 years in the 12thC.
One of the most unique features of Champa art, is the incredible mythological animal statuary. Their lions with elephant faces, dragons that are part lion or part human, and garudas, sacred birds are impeccably carved to inspire fear and respect in all who view them.
