Found the ancient Cham route to My Son

After a month of implementation, the archaeological exploration and excavation project in the eastern area of ​​Tower K of My Son relic site (Duy Phu commune, Duy Xuyen) has revealed a lot of valuable information, further confirming the My Son underground. There are still many mysteries yet to be decoded.

On March 1, 2024, the archaeological exploration and excavation project in the eastern area of ​​Tower K was officially launched by the My Son Cultural Heritage Management Board in coordination with the Institute of Archeology (Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism). area 220m ² (exploration area 20m ² and excavation area 200m ² ). The period lasts 2 months (ending April 29).

Traces of the road connecting K tower to the center of My Son temple complex. (Photo: KL).

On the excavation area, the foundation of the tightly beamed dirt road (9m wide) leading to the My Son relic complex was initially revealed .

According to a project officer, it is currently impossible to determine the exact name, function of the road or the ultimate length (need to continue research), but the hypothesis is about the main road that the ancient Cham people used. My Son has been firmly fortified.

'Even though we didn't discover many artifacts, the archaeological process also turned up some strange things, so we are continuing to research and find explanations. However, it can be confirmed that this is the main road going into the center of the ancient My Son relics, not the road tourists are taking today' - this official said.

Workers are continuing to excavate the road to the center of My Son temple tower. (Photo: KL).

Tower K dates back to around the 11th-12th centuries, built on large, high, flat land. This is a single tower located quite independently from other groups of towers. According to descriptions by French scholars in the early 20th century, K Tower is like a gate opening in the East - West direction and has brick walls. The reliefs include statues with 3 heads and 2 arms, a lion statue, the architecture has 2 gables, no epitaphs were found.

If you enter the My Son valley along the Khe The stream or by road along the banks of the ancient Khe The stream, the first architectural work you will encounter is the K tower. Because it is located in a special location, the tower's function is understood by many people. Experts say it can act as the first station to welcome believers on pilgrimage.

In 2016 - 2017, Indian experts conducted exploration, excavation, archeology and restoration of the K tower. This process clearly revealed the two boundary walls of the path located east of the K tower running into the temple groups. Main tower in My Son valley. The exploration process also discovered some architectural components and ceramic fragments, but Indian experts did not continue to excavate further.

The discovery of the main road to My Son of the ancient Cham people has revealed many mysteries about the spiritual spatial layout of the relic site. (Photo: KL).

In early August 2023, the My Son Cultural Heritage Management Board coordinated with the Institute of Archeology working group chaired by Dr. Nguyen Ngoc Quy to open 5 holes (each hole has an area of ​​4m2 ⁾ to excavate and explore the area. K tower group.

In the eastern area (behind) K tower , two traces of the north and south boundary walls of the road running along the East - West direction were discovered. In the western area (front) of tower K, 3 exploration holes were opened, revealing traces of compacted foundations of the road leading from the outside to the tower entrance.

According to Cham culture researcher Le Tri Cong, based on the overall layout of My Son and ancient Cham beliefs, this could be the ceremonial path of the clergy, aristocrats, and royals of Champa National Park.

Specifically, the starting point is from tower K (gate tower - mandapa) and ends at tower group F or E. From here, there will continue to be other roads through groups G, A, B, C, D and there are It is possible that H circles clockwise (although the H group still has many issues that need further research).

'This road may have existed before the 11th - 12th centuries (K tower date), but the Cham people reinforced and expanded it steadily as we see today' , Mr. Le Tri Cong speculated.

Cham people perform worshiping ceremonies at My Son. (Photo: KL).

My Son was built by the Cham people in the fourth century and continuously added large and small towers over the following centuries. This process only ended when the land north of the Thu Bon River merged into the territory of My Son. Dai Viet territory (1306).

Since the early 20th century, when French scientists came to My Son to research, they discovered that there were still 68 architectural works distributed into 8 clusters, each cluster had a main temple tower and auxiliary temple towers distributed in different areas. The center of the valley is about 2km in diameter, the main axis is Khe The stream

The discovery of traces of the road leading to the center of the relic further confirms that many mysteries about My Son still lie underground and the ceremonial path at the K tower area is just one of them.

Underground My Son still has many mysteries that need to be further researched and explored. (Photo: KL).

In 2019, the archaeological exploration of the location of the Double House area (about 300m from the core relic area) also discovered traces of civil works of the ancient Cham people. Further in 2006, experts from the Institute of Archeology also discovered many stone structures at the edge of Khe The stream (east of towers D1 and D2), further proving that My Son still has many mysteries.

Mr. Nguyen Cong Khiet - Deputy Director in charge of My Son Cultural Heritage Management Board said that after the project ends, the unit will propose to relevant branches and levels to continue excavating the road to area E, F to clarify the functional role of the road, aiming to preserve, promote value, and serve tourists.