The journey to turn Ponagar Tower into a special national monument

Hữu Long |

Khanh Hoa - The Government has recognized Ponagar Tower as a special national monument.

In July 2025, Khanh Hoa Provincial People's Committee will hold a ceremony to announce and receive the certificate of special national relic status for Ponagar Tower.

Previously, Deputy Prime Minister Le Thanh Long signed a Decision on the ranking of 5 special national relics (17).

In this list, the Ponagar Tower architectural and artistic relic in Khanh Hoa is officially recognized as a special national monument.

Thap Ba Ponagar la niem tu hao cua nguoi dan Khanh Hoa, la cong trinh kien truc dac sac, la bieu tuong cua su giao thoa van hoa, tin nguong. Anh: Huu Long
Ponagar Tower is the pride of Khanh Hoa people, a unique architectural work, a symbol of cultural and religious intersection. Photo: Huu Long

Ponagar Tower is located on Cu Lao Hill, Bac Ward, Nha Trang City. The project was built from the 8th to 13th centuries by the Cham community to worship the goddess Po Inu Nagar - the mother god of the Cham people.

By 1653, along with the community between the Vietnamese and Cham people, the belief of worshiping the Mother of the Fatherland was transformed into the belief of worshiping the Mother of the Fatherland in the Vietnamese community.

Quan the Thap Ba Ponagar hien con 5 cong trinh kien truc, phan bo o hai khu vuc chinh: khu Mandapa va khu den thap. Anh: Huu Long
The Ponagar Tower complex currently has 5 architectural works, distributed in two main areas: the Mandapa area and the tower temple area. Photo: Huu Long

The Ponagar Tower complex currently has 5 architectural works, distributed in two main areas: the Mandapa area and the tower temple area.

The Mandapa area consists of 4 rows of large rectangular columns built with terracotta, with a total of 10 large columns and 12 small columns.

The remaining tower area has 4 main towers. In which, the Northeast Tower (main Tower) is 23m high, first built in the 8th century, restored in the 11th century. Inside the tower is a statue of the goddess Po Nagar.

The 18m high South Tower, built in the 13th century, worships the god Shiva. According to Vietnamese legend, this is the place to worship the husband of Thien Y A Na, called the Great Tower.

The Southeast Tower is 7.1m high, dating back to the 11th - 12th centuries, worshiping the god Skandha - the son of the god Shiva. According to Vietnamese people, this is a place to worship grandfather and grandmother Tieu, the adoptive parents of Thien Y A Na.

The Northwest Tower is 9m high, a tower that is quite intact, worshiping the god Ganesha. Vietnamese legend believes that this is a place to worship the Lady and the Lady - the daughter of Thien Y A Na.

Di tich Thap Ba co nien dai xay dung khoang tu the ky 8 den the ky 13, la cong trinh tieu bieu ve nghe thuat kien truc cua dan toc Cham. Anh: Huu Long
The Ba Tower relic dates back to the 8th to the 13th centuries, a typical work of architectural art of the Cham ethnic group. Photo: Huu Long

In 1979, Ba Po Nagar Tower was ranked as a national architectural and artistic relic.

In 2012, the Ponagar Tower Festival - held annually from the 20th to the 23rd of the third lunar month - was included in the National Intangible Cultural Heritage List.

The festival is an occasion to practice the worship of the Mother Earth (of the Cham people) and the worship of the Mother Earth (of the Vietnamese people).

Currently, Ponagar Tower relic still preserves 14 royal decrees, 28 stone documents on steles and many artifacts of historical, cultural and archaeological value.

Hien Trung tam Bao ton di tich tinh Khanh Hoa to chuc hai chuong trinh tham quan Thap Ba Ponagar ve dem. Do la cac chuong trinh “Linh thieng xu Tram” va “Trang soi dang Thap” dien ra lan luot vao mung 1 va ngay ram am lich hang thang, bat dau tu 4.8.2024 (tuc mung 1 thang 7 nam Giap Thin).
Previously, the Khanh Hoa Provincial Monuments Conservation Center organized two programs to visit Ponagar Tower at night. These are the programs "The Sacred Heart of the Land of the Storm" and "Moonlightning the Tower" taking place on the 1st and 15th of each lunar month, respectively. Photo: Huu Long

Mr. Le Van Hoa - Deputy Director of Khanh Hoa Department of Culture and Sports - assessed that Ponagar Tower being ranked as a special national event is an important event. Thereby, contributing to enhancing the position of the relic in the Vietnamese cultural heritage system.

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