SEAArch - The Southeast Asian Archaeology Newsblog » Champa

7 Lectures from iTunes U on Southeast Asian Archaeology

noelbynature — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 13:37:16 +0000

Last week, Apple announced a revamped iBooks and iTunes U service aimed at bringing textbooks and course materials to the iPad. There’s a fair buzz in the education circles, but how much content is there relating to the archaeology of Southeast Asia?

As expected, not much, yet. There aren’t many channels devoted to archaeology, much less to the archaeology of Southeast Asia. But if you dig deeper, you might be able to find a couple of good lectures and material. Here’s my list of so 7 far:

Sacred Lands, Sacred Traditions: The arts of Southeast Asia and the Himalayas – a 2005 lecture series by the Society of Asian Art at the Asian Art Museum in San Francisco. Covers topics of the art of Thailand and Indonesia in particular, and the art of early Southeast Asia.
Southeast Asia-China Interaction – from the Asia Research Institute at the National University of Singapore. The lecture series covers a wide variety of topics from the ancient to the contemporary, but some of the lectures relevant to archaeology include talks on Champa in Vietnam and kiln sites in Cambodia.
Emerald Cities – Another series by the Asian Art Museum, focused on a 2009-2010 exhibition focused on the art of 18-20th century Thailand and Myanmar.
South and Southeast Asia before 1200 – Part of lecture series on art by Maggie Hobson-Baker of the Montogomery County Community College.
Arts of Southeast Asia Documentaries – Another one from the Asian Art Museum, one of the the three podcasts in this series is about the temple mountains of Cambodia.
World Audio Cambodia – Sounds, music and stories from Cambodia. Not exactly archaeological, but there are some locations featured.
Passport to Asia – Asian Art Museum Lecture series 2008-2009. A wide variety of subjects on Asian sites, but two lectures on Pagan (Myanmar), Borobudur (Indonesia) and the Royal Road of Angkor (Cambodia/Thailand).

That’s a start. It’s not quite seven lectures, as some of the links contain more than one lecture! Do you know of any other content in iTunes U that is related to Southeast Asian Archaeology?

Museum of Cham Sculpture

noelbynature — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 05:55:48 +0000

One of the more established tourist attractions in Da Nang is the Museum of Cham Sculpture at the corner of Trung Nu Vuong and 2 Thang 9 Streets. Almost a hundred years old, it houses a large sculpture collection from the Champa sites in the region (those that haven’t been looted or on display at some other faraway museum, that is).

Museum of Cham Sculpture, Da Nang

The museum is a lot larger than the picture suggests – it extends quite deep and is divided into a number of galleries. Unlike the flashy museums of Singapore, the displays and curation are quite rudimentary. No clever panoramas or detailed descriptions of artifacts, just the artifact on a pedestal or a ledge with a tag. There were some multilingual overviews of the Champa culture and specific sites.

Interior of the Museum of Cham Sculpture

Sculpture from Dong Duong

Sculpture housed here were originally from Champa sites in the vicinity, including My Son, Tra Kieu and Dong Duong. Because these sculptures are now out of context, it is hard to imagine what they looked liked in their original setting – even after visiting My Son the next day. This is a mixed curse I guess, because if left in situ they would have been vulnerable to looting.

Altar

Durga and Lintel depicting Court Life

The museum’s worth a visit because of the sheer size of the collection. You see an odd linga or Ganesha in other collections. Here, they literally have tons.

The Museum of Cham Sculpture is located at the corner of 2 Thang 9 Street (visitor’s entrance). It is open from 7am to 5.30pm and the entry fee is 30,000 VND. Check out their website here.

The My Son Sanctuary

noelbynature — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 06:01:27 +0000

For the year-end holidays, I had the chance to spend some time in central Vietnam via Da Nang, one of the largest cities in the country. Da Nang is a good gateway to three World Heritage Sites, all within reach of a day trip: the imperial capital of Hue to the north, the ancient city of Hoi An to the south, and the ruins of My Son, which is further inland, about an hourâ€™s drive from Da Nang.

My Son Sanctuary Group B,C,D

My Son was the spiritual capital of the Champa kings and the temples, now in ruins, were built between the 4th and 11th centuries. The name My Son is cognate with the Chinese which means â€˜Beautiful Mountainâ€™. Located in a valley between two mountain ranges, the site has an other-worldy feel to it, isolated, serene and the light rains and mist at the times that I visited certainly added to the atmosphere!

My Son Sanctuary Group H

If youâ€™ve visited the relatively more recent temples at Angkor and Ayutthaya you might be slightly underwhelmed by the size of the complex. The temple clusters are numbered A-K, but you only get to see about three main groups. Group B-C-D are the most picturesque and intact of the temples, Group A are mostly foundation ruins and you can still see craters from the bombings in group E and F.

Bomb crater near Groups E and F

Some of the ordnance recovered at My Son

Bombings? Back in the American-Vietnam War, a week of carpet bombing by American B-52s destroyed most of the complex. The Vietcong had installed a radio tower on one of the towers, which made the ruins no longer a heritage site under the rules of engagement but a military facility that was supposedly fair game for warfare. I donâ€™t know if the Vietcong thought that the Americans would not bomb archaeological ruins (I remember when the Parthenon was used as a powder battery and it was still blown up). There was an outcry by international and American scholars, but by then it was too late.

Group A

Groups B,C,D

I found myself making two trips to My Son. The first time was in the mid-morning, when there were a few hundred tourists already walking around despite the rain. In my second trip, I made a point to get there extra early â€“ around 8 â€“ to enjoy the serenity of the ruins. My Son is relatively â€œwildâ€ â€“ there are paths that take you through the major ruins, but they can be managed better to limit the impact of tourists walking through the ruins. With Da Nang set to become a major tourism gateway, I foresee the need for measures to be taken to manage the rise in tourist numbers in the near future.

Cham kendi found in Hue

noelbynature — Mon, 14 Nov 2011 14:05:04 +0000

A 1,600 year old kendi (spouted vessel) was recovered from a river in Hue in central Vietnam.

Cham Kendi recovered from Hue, Tuoi Tre News 20111112

Hue found 1,600-year-old Cham vase
Tuoi Tre News, 12 November 2011

A rare pottery vase dating back to the Champa Kingdom which ruled the central part of Vietnam from 192 to 1832 has recently been discovered under the Huong (Perfume) River in Hue.

Professor Lam My Dung from the Hanoi National University said this vase was the one and only of its kind that had ever been found in Vietnamâ€™s central provinces.

Full story here.

ASI help sought for My Son restoration

noelbynature — Thu, 10 Nov 2011 00:15:09 +0000

The Vietnamese government has sought the Archaeological Survey of India to help restore the My Son Sanctuary.

photo credit: davethetemp

Vietnam seeks ASI help in restoring ancient temples
MSN India News, 06 November 2011

India funds restoration of My Son sanctuary
Saigon Giai Phong, 08 November 2011

The Vietnam government has sought assistance from the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) to restore a portion of My Son Sanctuary, a world heritage site that has one of the largest collection of Hindu temples and monuments in Southeast Asia.

“Yes, we have been approached by the Vietnamese government to undertake restoration works at the sanctuary which houses centuries-old temples, some dating as far back as the 4th century AD,” ASI”s Director General Gautum Sengupta told PTI.

Set in a valley surrounded by high mountains, the 70-odd monuments in My Son Sanctuary”s precincts were badly damaged by US” week-long carpet bombing during the Vietnam war in 1969. The surrounding terrain is considered perilous even now because of another legacy of the war – undetected landmines.

Full story here.

Public Lecture: New Light on the Ancient Records of Campa (Vietnam)

noelbynature — Tue, 16 Feb 2010 00:36:53 +0000

Readers in Singapore might be interested in Dr Arlo Griffith’s talk next week on the epigrahy of Champa.

New Light on the Ancient Records of Campa (Vietnam)
by Dr Arlo Griffiths
26 February, 7.00 – 8.30 pm
Asian Civilisations Museum
RSVP Required – details here

This lecture presents recent developments in the study of the written records of the ancient Campa kingdom(s), which lay in what is now central and southern Vietnam. The study of Campa epigraphy, which once flourished in French colonial times, has all but died out after World War II and has only recently been revived. Newly discovered inscriptions have started to be published. A census of Campa inscriptions was undertaken in Septemberâ€“October 2009 in museums and archaeological sites of Vietnam. The aim of the census was to up-date the general inventory of Campa inscriptions, whose last published instalment dates to 1942, and to record essential data of previously known and newly discovered epigraphical documents. The presentation will discuss some new inscriptions, which throw new light on the history of Campa and its place within the larger scale development of Southeast Asian history.

Champa altar to be displayed in New York

noelbynature — Wed, 20 Jan 2010 00:11:26 +0000

An 9-10th century Champa House Altar will be displayed in the New York Museum (?) from February to May.

Champa altar house to be displayed at New York Museum
Saigon Giai Phong, 17 Jan 2010

The anitque Van Trach Hoa altar house has been chosen for display at the New York Museum in New York, the US, from February 2 to May 2, said a representative of the History and Revolution Museum of Thua Thien Hue Province.

The altar house was found in 1991 at Van Trach Hoa temple, Phong Thu commune, Phong Dien district.

Rare Buddha statue unveiled at Ho Chi Minh City Museum

noelbynature — Fri, 15 Jan 2010 13:54:35 +0000

In conjunction with the opening of the two permanent exhibitions on the Oc Eo and Champa cultures at the Vietnamese Museum of History at Ho Chi Minh City, a rare 8th century Buddha is unveiled and exhibited.

Rare $6 million Buddha statue on display in HCM City
Vietnam Net Bridge, 14 January 2010

A Buddha statue, insured at US$6 million, is now exhibited at the Oc Eo and Champa cultural exhibition rooms at the Vietnam History Museum in HCM City.

The 1.2m high statue, named Dong Duong, is among the rarest and most famous antiques in the world. This statue was made around the 8th or 9th century. It was discovered in the central province of Quang Nam. This antique is also praised for its artistic values.

Dr. Ba Trung Phu from the Vietnam History Museum said that the Dong Duong Buddha statue is unique in style.

Besides this statue, the newly-opened Oc Eo and Champa cultural exhibition room has many other special antiques of the Champa culture, including the Devi goddess statue of the 10th century, which is insured at $1.5-$2 million.

Permanent exhibitions on Oc Eo and Champa opens in Ho Chi Minh City

noelbynature — Fri, 15 Jan 2010 00:41:24 +0000

The Museum of Vietnamese History in Ho Chi Minh City opens two permanent exhibitions showcasing artefacts from Vietnam’s Oc Eo and Champa cultures.

photo credit: ctsnow

HCM City museum opens Oc Eo, Champa culture exhibits
Vietnam Net Bridge, 13 January 2010

The Museum of Vietnamese History in HCM City yesterday, January 12, opened two permanent exhibits of the Oc Eo and Champa cultures.

On display are 439 ancient artefacts and sculptures made of gold, silver, copper, gems, pottery, wood, and sandstone.

The Oc Eo exhibition features remnants of tools, vases, and statues of Gods made of earth during the Oc Eo culture (between the first and sixth centuries) which were found in the Cuu Long (Mekong) Delta, mostly in An Giang Province.

New Cham ruin in Bin Thuan Province

noelbynature — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 14:24:09 +0000

Adam Bray, a travel writer based in Vietnam, shares with us the ruins of a Cham brick structure that he stumbled upon.

New Discovery of Ancient Cham Tower by Resident Guidebook Writer
Mui Ne Beach.net, 29 September 2009

Yesterday amidst the wind and rain of the typhoon currently pounding the Vietnam coast, resident travel writer Adam Bray (myself) and his friend, N. T. Tron, made an amazing discovery in central Vietnamâ€™s Binh Thuan Province. On the way home from a long trip through the countryside, they stopped in a remote forested area for a break, and stumbled upon an unusual mound, camouflaged by trees and vines. Noticing a few old red bricks scattered on the ground, they climbed to the top of the mound for a better look. Wading through tall shrubs and thorny vines, they discovered a series of four shafts, 15 to 20 feet deep, lined with brick walls, descending into the ground.

The ancient red-brick walls of the buried towers were tell-tale signs that the two had discovered a previously unknown temple complex, attributed to the ancient Champa Empire. The Cham once dominated most of south and central Vietnam, and were contemporary adversaries of the Kingdom of Angkor in Cambodia. Today the Cham now heavily populate Binh Thuan and Ninh Thuan Provinces of south-central Vietnam, with a thriving matriarchal, Hindu-descended culture. They are known for their beautiful hand-woven textiles, pottery made on a stationary wheel (the craftswomen circles the table, walking backwards as they work) , the white robes, turban and red tassels worn by Cham men, and bizarre burial rituals that include exhuming a corpse on the anniversary of death.

The location and arrangement of the temples is highly unusual. Rather than being located on a hilltop facing the sea or a river, the towers are buried underground, in a remote area that is currently difficult to access. The towers are also packed tightly together, and may even form a single structure with multiple chambers. Itâ€™s not possible yet to know precisely how old the towers are. However, if comparing the other temples here in Binh Thuan Province, including those found at Phu Hai (8th Century), Lien Huong (8th-9th Century) and the newly discovered temple at Thuan Hoa (9th Century), an age of 1100-1300 years is plausible. To unlock the temples secrets, and discern which god-king or goddess they were built to worship, the temples will need to be fully excavated and researched. For now, weâ€™ve decided to nickname them â€œThap Po Aâ€™dam-Hung.â€

Adam Bray first arrived in Vietnam in 2003 and bases himself in Phan Thiet, Vietnam. He is fluent in Vietnamese and speaks basic Cham. He is also one of only a small group of foreigners who can read Cham script, based on ancient Sanskrit. Adam has contributed to more than 15 guidebooks to Vietnam, Cambodia and Thailand, for publishers including DK Eyewitness, Insight Guides, Thomas Cook, ThingsAsian, Berlitz and Time Out. Read more about his adventures in Southeast Asia at www.fisheggtree.com or life in Mui Ne-Phan Thiet at www.muinebeach.net.