Buddhism, Confucianism, and Taoism are a strong influence on the
beliefs and practices of the Vietnamese. So it came as a pleasant surprise for
us when we ventured upon the Cham museum in DaNang with its strong Hindu overtures,
considering that Hinduism was absolutely unheard of in this country. The Museum
has been well maintained and has a vast collection of Hindu Gods and Goddesses
reflecting the diverse culture of this nation.
The Champa Kingdom
The Champa
kingdom founded around 192 AD was a collection of smaller states called Mandala
with diverse ethnicity. Its territories stretched from the central and southern
coastal region of Vietnam. It was established by the Cham people of
Malayo-Polynesian stock and Indianized culture, during the breakup of the Han
dynasty of China. This territory was inhabited by local tribes involved in constant
struggles with the Chinese colonies, and gradually came under the influence of Indian
cultural and started evolving. Concentrated in small coastal enclaves, it had a
powerful fleet used for commerce and piracy. The decentralized Nation composed
of 4 states named after Indian regions —Amaravati, Vijaya, Kauthara and
Panduranga.
King Bhadravarman in 400AD united the regions in his rule. The
Chinese were persistent in trying to regain control over the region and the
people with multiple raids but these used to be short lived and the people
managed to shake them off and retain their culture, entering into an era of
great independent prosperity and artistic achievements. Under Indravarman II,
who established the Indrapura dynasty (the 6th Champan) in 875AD,
the capital of the country moved back to the northern province of Amaravati. Elaborate
palaces and temples were constructed during his reign.
In the 10th
century the Vietnamese kingdom of Dai Viet began to exert pressure on Champa,
forcing it to relinquish Amaravati in 1000 and Vijaya in 1069. Harivarman IV,
who in 1074 founded the 9th Cham dynasty, was able to stave off
further Vietnamese and Cambodian attacks. In 1145 the Khmers, under the
leadership of Suryavarman II, invaded and conquered Champa. Two years later a
new Cham king, Jaya Harivarman I, arose and threw off Khmer rule, and his
successor, in 1177, sacked the Cambodian capital at Angkor. Between 1190 and
1220 the Chams again came under Cambodian suzerainty, and later in the 13th
century they were attacked by the Tran kings of Vietnam, as well as by the
Mongols in 1284. By the late 15th century, incessant wars of aggression and
defense had for all practical purposes wiped out the Champa kingdom; one by one
their provinces were annexed until Champa was entirely absorbed in the 17th
century.
Its end marked
the demise of the only culture of mainland Asia with Oceanic features.
The Museum
The museum was
established at the end of the 19th century by the Ecole Francaise d'Extreme
Orient. Henri Parmentier, a prominent
archaeologist of the department, made great contributions to the campaign for
its construction. The building was designed by two French architects, Delaval
and Auclair, resembling the most commonly used aspects of Champa towers and
temples. The museum currently displays around 300 sandstone and terra-cotta
sculptures collected mostly from temples and towers in central Vietnam, from
Quang Binh to Binh Dinh. The sculptures are displayed in ten showrooms named
after the localities where the pieces have been discovered.
Temples in
Champa were made of bricks. As a result, artists did not have long expanses of
wall to decorate with bas-reliefs as in Angkor Wat. The Chams incorporated
their sculptures into the temple architecture by carving them separately and
making them part of the construction. In
their own way, the artifacts exemplify the rise and fall of the Champa
civilization from its golden age to its decline over 8 centuries.
There is a small curio shop within the complex selling replicas of idols and modern paintings..the idols are definitely worth a buy though they come at a high cost and you may have to bargain hard for it
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