Vietnam: Po Nagar Cham Towers, Nha Trang

Po Nagar is one of the most important and revered Cham sites in Vietnam, dating back to the 8th century CE. It is dedicated to the goddess Yang Ino Po Nagar and was originally constructed on the orders of the Kings of the Cham principality of Kauthara. Of the original eight towers, four remain standing. There is also a mandapa or meditation hall. The most impressive tower is called Thap Chinh, the ‘North Tower’, built in 817 and housing an image of the Hindu goddess Uma in her incarnation as Po Nagar. At the entrance, her husband the Hindu god Shiva dances on the back of his holy mount, the sacred bull Nandi. Although a Cham goddess, Yang Ino Po Nagar is now very much a patron goddess for Nha Trang, honoured and venerated by ethnic Viet and Chinese Buddhists as well as by Nha Trang’s surviving Cham Hindu community. Nha Trang is a coastal city and capital of Khanh Hoa province, on the South Central Coast of Vietnam. Historically, the city was known as Kauthara under the Champa. The city is still home to the famous Po Nagar Tower built by the Champa. Being a coastal city, Nha Trang is a centre for marine science based at the Nha Trang Oceanography Institute.