Ponagar Tower

Ponagar Tower

The Ponagar Tower relic site is located on top of a marble hill close to the mouth of the Cai River in Vinh Phuoc ward, Nha Trang city (Khanh Hoa). This is one of the typical architectural complexes of Champa culture and has remained almost intact over time... The overall architecture of Ponagar Tower includes 3 levels, of which, the lowest level located at ground level is the gate tower. The second level has a wide area with 2 rows of 10 large columns, with 2 rows of 12 small columns on both sides. In the middle is an altar, where the singing and dancing activities of the ancient Cham people used to take place during every festival, holiday, and Tet. This is also a place called Mandapa, meaning a guest house, for pilgrims to rest, prepare offerings and prepare costumes before the official ceremony on the tower. The top level includes 4 towers: Main tower (also known as Ba palace, worshiping the goddess Ponagar, which in Cham means Mother of the Country), middle tower (Ong palace), east tower (Co palace), Northwest tower (Chu palace). Miss, Cau palace). Here, the most prominent is Ponagar Tower with four floors, symbolizing beauty, art and creativity, inside there is a 2.6 meter high statue of the goddess, carved of black marble, sitting on a pedestal. Majestic stone shaped like a lotus stem, the back rests on a large stone slab shaped like a Bodhi leaf. This is a masterpiece of Champa sculpture, a harmonious combination of round and embossed statue techniques. Other towers worship Shiva, Sanhaka and Ganeca. Ponagar Tower is a historical-cultural relic, a typical work of architectural art and sculpture of the Cham people in Vietnam. (The name Ponagar Tower is used to refer to this entire architectural work, but it is actually the name of the largest tower, nearly 23m high). The towers here are all built of bricks, artistically decorated with stone and ceramic materials, and the content is related to the worshiped gods. The most special thing is that the bricks are built tightly on top of each other without any type of adhesive. This is a mystery that until now researchers have not yet discovered how the Cham people managed to build it. so. Every year, on the Mother's Day (from 20 to 23 of the third lunar month), the Ponagar Tower Relic site welcomes tens of thousands of tourists on pilgrimage. Ponagar Thap Ba Festival is considered one of the largest festivals in the South Central and Central Highlands regions. The main rituals of the festival include the Muc Duc ceremony (statue bathing), the family mandarin sacrifice ceremony (clothing changing ceremony) taking place at Horse hour on March 20 (lunar calendar), followed by the sacrificial ceremony and offering offerings. , shadow dancing invites the Divine Mother and other gods to attend the ceremony. According to ritual, the ceremony to worship the Holy Mother usually begins with a prayer ceremony to pray for peace and prosperity for the country and people. The birth sacrifice ceremony begins at the hour of the Rat on the night of March 22 (lunar calendar) by the elderly, then the official worship ceremony takes place at 4 a.m. the next day. The ceremony was performed by the chief priest, the altar boy, the east-hien, the west-hien and the student team, who in turn offered wine, offered tea, and recited the orations very respectfully and respectfully. Finally, each group of people representing the palei, hamlets, and hamlets came to perform the ceremony... One of the most unique intangible cultural heritages in the Goddess festival at Ponagar Tower is the shadow dance praising merit. , expressing gratitude to "Mother Country". Cultural history researchers say that from the mid-17th century until now, the ceremony of worshiping the Motherland has been carefully organized by the Cham and Kinh people at Ponagar Tower. Around 1653, Vietnamese immigrants from the North, following Lord Nguyen to the South to open the world, stopped by the mouth of the Cai River (Nha Trang), establishing villages and hamlets... And they brought with them their customs. Mother Goddess worship of the Kinh people in the Northern Delta comes here. With the passage of time and the development trend of society, current festival rituals have had many changes; But no matter what, on the solemn day, Kinh people still excitedly organize hundreds of troupes of shadow dances, fruit offerings, fan dances and Cham people jubilantly beat the graminang and paranung drums, blow the saranai trumpet, and passionately play the kanhi. and singing folk songs... Even the shared meals of hundreds of people, happily talking and laughing, filled with the joy of peace and prosperity... Ponagar Tower Festival has been recognized by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism as a national intangible cultural heritage. To preserve, promote the value and widely introduce the unique cultural features of the Cham people to tourists, the Ponagar Tower Relics Management Board has organized a number of dancers, musicians, and artisans. of the Cham people come here every day to perform brocade weaving, Cham dances... Currently, every day Ponagar Tower attracts thousands of tourists to visit. Source: Vietnam National Tourism Administration

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