Sacred ancient tower
The special national relic Po Nagar Tower is located on Cu Lao hill in Bac Nha Trang ward, built by the Cham people from the 8th to the 13th century to worship the goddess Po Inư Nagar (also known as Po Nagar). By 1653, the coexistence and harmony of the Vietnamese and the Cham people marked the formation and strong development of the Cham people's worship of the Mother of the land with the Vietnamese people's worship of Thien YA Na Thanh Mau, so at Po Nagar Tower, Thien YA Na Thanh Mau is also worshiped. Po Nagar Tower is an architectural complex consisting of the gate tower, Mandapa and the temple tower area. However, due to historical fluctuations, the relic site currently has 5 architectural works on two levels: Mandapa and the temple tower area. The Mandapa area has 4 rows of large octagonal columns, built of baked bricks, including 10 large columns and 12 small columns. The temple complex currently has 4 towers: The Northeast Tower, also known as the main tower, is 23m high, first built in the 8th century and rebuilt in the 11th century, inside the tower is a statue of the Goddess Po Nagar; the South Tower is 18m high, built in the 13th century, this is the place to worship the god Shiva, and according to Vietnamese legend, the tower worships the husband of Thien YA Na Thanh Mau, so it is called Ong Tower; the Southeast Tower is 7.1m high, dating from around the 11th to 12th century, worships the god Skandha - the son of Shiva, and according to Vietnamese legend, the tower worships Mr. and Mrs. Tieu, the adoptive parents of Thien YA Na Thanh Mau; the Northwest Tower is 9m high, the only tower that is still quite intact in terms of architecture and decoration, the tower worships the god Ganesha, and according to Vietnamese legend, the tower worships Co and Cau - the children of Thien YA Na Thanh Mau.
Po Nagar Tower special national monument. |
In 1979, the Po Nagar Tower relic was ranked as a national architectural and artistic relic. This shows the special attention of the Party and State to this relic complex. “When mentioning the special national relic of Po Nagar Tower, we also mention the Po Nagar Tower Festival which takes place annually from the 20th to the 23rd of the third lunar month, along with the practice of the Mother Goddess worship of the Cham people and the Mother Goddess worship of the Vietnamese community. In 2012, the Po Nagar Tower Festival was included in the List of National Intangible Cultural Heritage. Currently, the special national relic of Po Nagar Tower still preserves 14 royal decrees and 28 inscriptions on steles, along with many other rare artifacts. Through the process of cultural exchange, interweaving and acculturation, the special national relic of Po Nagar Tower has become a Mother Goddess worship center - a place for people in the province and visitors from all over to pray for national peace and prosperity, favorable weather, a peaceful, prosperous and happy life”, said Mr. Le Van Hoa - Deputy Director of the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism.
Heritage of Agarwood Craft in Agarwood Land
Khanh Hoa people still pass on the song: "Khanh Hoa is the land of Agarwood/High mountains, wide seas, people come and go..." to depict the pride in a precious product of this land that people have worked hard to exploit and process. According to historical records, agarwood in Khanh Hoa has long been known as one of the famous endemic products of Champa, Dai Viet. According to Professor, Doctor Nguyen Van Kim - Permanent Vice Chairman of the National Cultural Heritage Council, in the article "Agarwood trees, the land of Agarwood in the social life and economic history of Vietnam" wrote: "Ancient Chinese historical documents also have many records of the local materials of the ancient Champa kingdom, including agarwood. Accordingly, since the Han Dynasty (206 BC - 220 AD), agarwood of Champa has been known to the residents of the region and has always been considered the main tribute of this state government to the court and the nobility, mandarins of the North". Through this, we can see that the profession of exploiting agarwood in general and in Khanh Hoa in particular has existed for a long time. Agarwood appears in many localities in the Central Highlands region, as well as some Southeast Asian countries, but when talking about the quality of agarwood, we still have to mention Khanh Hoa agarwood as the best. In the work “Phu Bien Tap Luc” written in 1776, in the section “Products and customs”, scholar Le Quy Don wrote in-depth about agarwood, the uses and features of agarwood and ky nam: “Ky nam huong from the top of the mountains of the communes of the two prefectures of Binh Khang and Dien Khanh is the best; from Phu Yen and Quy Nhon is the second best…”.
Agarwood processing in Hoa Thang ward. Photo: C.D |
With the long tradition and experience of the agarwood profession, in the province there are currently many craft villages, cooperatives, craft groups, and households engaged in agarwood processing, thereby creating famous and unique handicraft products from agarwood such as: agarwood incense, agarwood bracelets, agarwood statues, agarwood essential oil, etc. Many handicraft products from agarwood are of high quality and certified as OCOP quality. The Khanh Hoa agarwood brand is increasingly affirmed domestically and internationally. “Over a long period of existence, the Khanh Hoa agarwood exploitation and processing profession is still preserved by the people, preserving folk knowledge and professional experience to develop, recreate, and craft to enrich and diversify agarwood products; creating unique handicraft products and unique tourist gifts for visitors when coming to the land of agarwood. Agarwood workers have honored the goddess Po Nagar - Thien YA Na Thanh Mau as the founder of the profession”, Mr. Le Van Hoa shared.
The simultaneous organization of receiving the certificate of special national relic Po Nagar Tower and national intangible cultural heritage Knowledge of exploiting and processing agarwood at the same time and in the premises of the worship of goddess Po Nagar - Thien YA Na Thanh Mau is an honor for two long-standing cultural heritages in Kauthara - Agarwood land - Khanh Hoa province. From the pride of two thousand-year-old cultural heritages, we will have more specific and practical actions to preserve and promote more effectively the typical and unique traditional cultural values of the province.
On January 17, Deputy Prime Minister Le Thanh Long signed Decision No. 152 on ranking special national relics (17th batch, 2025) for 5 relics nationwide. Among them, there is the architectural and artistic relic of Po Nagar Tower in Khanh Hoa province.
On June 3, the Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism signed a decision to announce the List of National Intangible Cultural Heritage. Accordingly, Khanh Hoa Agarwood Exploitation and Processing Knowledge was included in the List of National Intangible Cultural Heritage.
FAMILY
Source: https://baokhanhhoa.vn/van-hoa/202507/tu-hao-di-san-van-hoa-nghin-nam-9462467/
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