Po Klong Garai Tower is located on the top of Betel Hill in Do Vinh Ward, Phan Rang City - Thap Cham (Ninh Thuan). The work was built by King Che Man in the late 13th and early 14th centuries to worship the king of the same name.
Experiencing many historical events and the destruction of time, this relic still preserves intact artifacts and traditional values in Cham culture. In 1979, the tower was ranked as a National Monument by the Ministry of Culture and in 2016 was recognized as a Special National Monument by the Prime Minister.
The main tower is more than 20m high, designed with many floors, around the corners are attached stone statues in the shape of dragon tails, leaves, god cows, fire symbols... Pô Klong Garai Tower is a sacred temple, considered as one of the religious and cultural centers of the Panduranga region, a symbol and pride of the Cham community living in Ninh Thuan.
Pô Klong Garai consists of 3 towers including the main tower (central tower), fire tower (house tower) and gate tower, built from dark red baked bricks. Particularly, the gate tower and fire tower are not used for worship, only the main tower is the place to worship King Po Klong Garai.
This tower has a main door in the east, above which is sculpted the image of Siva, a sacred god for the Cham people, and below which are two stone pillars supporting the tower engraved with ancient Cham characters. This is considered a beautiful and majestic cluster of towers in the Cham tower system across the country. a masterpiece left by the ancient Cham people.
In front of the relics cluster is a gate tower with a height of more than 5m, carved with meticulous patterns. This place is the entrance and exit for ceremonies, offerings and reception of the king's guests in the past. Inside the tower, the king is worshipped with the symbol of Mukha-Linga.
In the south is the fire tower, which has the typical architecture of traditional houses of the Cham people.
Every year, there are 4 festivals taking place at the Po Klong Garai tower relics including the Chabun Ceremony (the ceremony to worship the mother goddess of the country), the Peh bi mbeng Yang Ceremony (the opening ceremony of the tower), the Yuer Yang Ceremony (the island prayer ceremony) and the Katê Festival... both preserving and exploiting cultural values and attracting tourists.
The most typical is the Katê Festival on July 1 of the Cham calendar (around September and October of the solar calendar) with the meaning of commemorating the merits of King Po Klong Garai, praying for national security and favorable rain and wind. In 2016, this work was recognized as a special National Monument.
Source: VNN
Photo: Hoang Ha