SHIVA
Tower C1, My Son, Quang Nam | 7th – 8th centuries | Sandstone | [BTC 26]
Once founded at the C1 Tower in 1903, the work was not intact. The head, arms pointing forward and both legs from the knees down are broken.
According to Henri Parmentier, the statue interprets Shiva’s alms based on the posture, outfit and especially the arms extending to the front. However, there is the custom of worshiping God – King in Champa back in time so there is a theory that this is the portrait of God – King worshiped in My Son, a super rare art work in Champa sculptural art at the end of the 8th century – early 9th centuries.
In the early 20th century, French archaeologists found jewelry in the C7 tower near the C1 tower where the statue is located. The gold jewelry set weighs 1.5kg and may have been used to adorn the god during the ceremony (the statue has earpieces, possibly for jewelry – this detail does not appear in the works with the same theme). Currently, there still exists the ritual of bathing and dressing the statue in some places such as Po Inư Nagar Temple (Nha Trang, Khanh Hoa) and Po Klong Garai Temple (Ninh Thuan).
References
- Official website of Da Nang Museum of Cham Sculpture: chammuseum.vn
- Information points and annotations of artifacts at Danang Museum of Cham Sculpture.
- “Vibrancy in Stone – Masterpieces of the Da Nang Museum of Cham Sculpture”
- Information guidebook introducing 20 characteristic artifacts at Da Nang Museum of Cham Sculpture.
- Presentation of tourist destinations in Da Nang.
- Web portal of Da Nang city
DANANG CENTER FOR TOURISM PROMOTION
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