Po Nagar Temple Nha Trang - 8th Century Hindu Temple In Vietnam

What is fascinating about this temple is that its origins can be traced back to beyond the 8th century and it was a Hindu temple built and later rebuilt by the kings of the Champa Empire. The temple of Ponagar or Ponagar Tower as it is called is dedicated to the Vietnamese mother goddess Ponagar Natharang which is a beautiful coastal city today was once known as Kothara and was one of the principalities of the then Champa Kingdom whose main states were Indrapura, Vijaya, Kothara and Panduranga. The origins of the temple are not known. The earliest historical mention of the temple was found in an inscription on a stele that was dated 781 which mentions that a Champa king named Satyavarman had rebuilt the temple. We were now visiting this ancient temple some 1200 years later, a temple that had been once a center of Hinduism. We are on our way to the Ponagar temple which is a very important place for the people of Natharang. It is a 7th century temple that belonged to the Champ dynasty. This is the entry to the temple. You have to take a ticket. The ancient Thapba or Ponagar temple stands on a hill named Kulav which overlooks the Kai river. The temple complex is spread over three levels. At the first level is the entrance and exit gates as well as shops and benches to relax on. We took a few steps and reached the second level where we came across some intriguing looking columns that stood facing the main temple on the top level. What were these mysterious pillars? What was the purpose, we wondered. Later research suggested that these columns must have once supported the roof of a covered building in which devotees gathered before entering the sanctum. It is interesting to note that this area is referred to as Mandapa. In Hindu temple architecture, Mandapa is a term used for a hall located between the entrance and the sanctum or the garbhagriha of a temple where visitors gathered. We discovered a series of almost vertical steps behind the Mandapa area that led straight up to the main tower. These steps are not in use today. However, they reminded us of the famous 18 steps of the Ayyappa temple in Sabarimala. And right now we are up the hill this way. On the top here is a very nice view for you to look for the river mouth here. Kai river. We are now taking a few steps to the Ponagar temple. You have a beautiful view from over here, the Kai river. At the top of the hill stand four towers. The main tower houses the temple of the mother goddess while the smaller towers have temples to Ganesha, Skanda and Shiva. Originally there were a total of six towers. However, two have collapsed. This is a unique temple which houses Parvati as Ponagar and there is Shiva. And there are smaller temples to Ganesh and Kartikeya as well. What is really unique is that both Hindus and Buddhists worship at this temple which is about more than 1200 years old and was established by the Champ empire. Before the main temple there is a small temple to Skanda, Subramanya and Kartikeya. Though these were originally Hindu deities, they have been influenced by Buddhism and later Vietnamese culture. So Ganesha did not have an elephant head. Also the rituals and rites of worship are different. You can however still find motifs of Hinduism. We draw your attention to the sculpture of Durga as Mahishasura Mardini on the pediment above the entrance to the main temple. The beautiful idol of the goddess with a benevolent and serene expression greeted us as we entered the sanctum. She was dressed in a beautiful gown and wore ornaments. A glittering crown adorned her head. Idol is fully covered barring the face. However, this is how it actually looks. It depicts the mother goddess seated in Padmasana having ten hands. Her right hand is lifted in Abhayamudra while the left hand shows the Varadhamudra. While the other hands hold weapons and other items of Hindu symbology like conch, spear and other weapons. The Ponagar temple is a Cham temple and the Cham Hindus practice a religion that has evolved from Hinduism and they are known as Balamon Cham Hindus. It is believed that etymologically Balamon has evolved from Brahmin and the Balamon Hindus are the priests who conduct the worship in the temple. The religion that they practice is Shaivite Hinduism. We spoke to the Cham priest of the temple to understand a little more about Cham Hinduism. He said that right now your government is very good. Support a lot for the Cham people. But also our government together but usually your government usually support a lot. For the fortune culture look like in the youth country. Usually for the birth of cremate. So they usually after birth cremate they usually put for the earth in the river or the sea. And then they collect the bone usually to look like for the Hindu culture. So that in right now the main religion. And then they usually to worship for the Shiva, Vishnu, Rathmas, Kuda and another one. Vishnu. We are now leaving the environs of this beautiful ancient Hindu temple of the 8th century. A temple to Parvati and there are temples to Shiva, Ganesha and Subramanya as well. It's a beautiful location with a great view of the city. So we had a great experience visiting this temple. We just took a picture with some of the Cham people. One of the oldest Cham empire dating back to the 5th, 6th, 7th century. And a Hindu empire. We left the precincts of the Ponagar temple complex. Feeling enriched and also proud of the religious and cultural influence of India that extended across South East Asia. The ancient Cham temple stands as an enduring ode to the tenets of Hinduism in a distant land across the seas.