Basic HTML Version
timeout
51
the civilization, its golden period, and its
eventual decline. Visitors will quickly see
this was a civilisation that had a passion
for art and innate creative talent.
All artefacts are classified into two
different galleries that represent two
periods of Cham art. The first period
starts from the latter half of the 7th
century and lasts until the end of the
9th century - a prosperous era that
witnessed the flowering of Cham art.
Among the masterpieces of this period
on display at the museum is the Tra
Kieu Altar, which was used for the wor-
ship of Siva, the creator and destroyer
of the universe, and the symbols of her
creative ability, the Linga and Yoni, are
present on it. The four scenes carved
around the base of the altar tell the
story of Prince Rama.
The Quang Tri gallery was built
by the museum between 1918 and
1935 and includes 14 works, mostly
from Nam Giap, Ha Trung, Thach An
and Da Nghi, dating from the 7th to
8th century.
The artefacts in the Dong Duong
gallery create a deep impression and
represent the highest development of
Cham art through the 9th and 10th
centuries. These statues of the first
Cham kings have a vivid and imposing
appearance.
The second period lasted from the
11th to the 15th century. Numerous
wars took their toll on Champa, forcing
the relocation of the capital from Tra
Kieu to Tra Ban (Binh Dinh province)
around the 1,000 A.D. At this time
a different kind of beauty began to
emerge in Cham art. The decorative
motifs of the animal statues became
more ornate, whereas those depicting
humans became more dull, gradually
losing the expressive characteristics of
the early period.
The artefacts discovered at Thap
Mam between the 12th and 14th cen-
tury are monumental sculptures of large
animals such as elephants, makara (sea
monsters) and garudas (the birds of the
gods), which served as protectors of the
temples and towers.
The Thap Mam style represents the
last efforts of a civilisation on the de-
cline. There are 67 works from those
excavations on display in the Thap Mam
– Binh Dinh gallery.
The Museum of Cham Sculpture
in Danang is often very crowded with
tourists, who generally spend only
around one to two hours here. How-
ever, to really understand the displays
and huge amount of information on the
ancient civilization, days are needed.
Ideally, a visit will be followed by a
field trip to discover all the remaining
relics. Currently, besides My Son Holy
Sanctuary there are other historic Cham
towers still standing, including the Twin
Towers of Quy Nhon City, the Po Nagar
Tower in Nha Trang city, and Po Klaung
Garai in Ninh Thuan.
Though somewhat intact, it is rath-
er sad to see their current condition and
so they are often seldom visited. How-
ever, it is hoped that upcoming restora-
tion efforts will see visitor numbers rise.
The ruins of Cham towers at My Son