Cham towers by nagar. Cham Towers Po Nagar Po Nagar Cham Towers. Nha Trang: reviews of tourists

Po Nagar Cham Towers is the first attraction we visited when we arrived in Nha Trang. This is the most interesting historical place in the city.

The towers of Po Nagar were built between the 7th and 12th centuries. They are located 1 kilometer from the city center, on the banks of the Kai River. The towers are a Hindu temple and currently serve as a venue for religious ceremonies and prayers.

These towers were built over a thousand years ago by the ancient people who inhabited Vietnam at that time. They are historical monuments culture of the Cham civilization. Chams inhabited most territory of Vietnam. Champa, or it is also called Champa, was formed by the merger of 5 coastal principalities, one of which is Kuathara (the territory modern city Nha Trang, Khanh Hoa Province).

The powerful state of Champa existed from the 12th to the 17th centuries on the territory of central Vietnam, V X-XI centuries was the rise of the state. But in the fifteenth century main city Vijayabal was captured, and in the XVII century the Chams were almost completely destroyed. Currently, small groups of Chams live in the southern part of Vietnam and in Cambodia.

The Chams practiced Hinduism. The Cham princes Kauthara are considered to be the founders of the Po Nagar towers. The entrance to the territory of the towers is decorated with columns of various sizes. In order for the ancient staircase not to collapse, tourists cannot climb it. They made a new one for us, bypassing the columns.

Initially, this Cham monument included 8 towers, only four of them are currently preserved. Each tower was dedicated to a specific Hindu god. The largest one is dedicated to the goddess Yang Ino Po Nagar, her name translates as "Mother of the Country". According to legend, it was she who taught the Cham people agriculture and crafts. The 25-meter tower impresses with its beauty and antiquity. Sweets, fruits and flowers are brought to the altar of the mother goddess. Incense is constantly burned inside the towers, so the smell is always very strong there.

One of the towers was built in honor of the god Sanhak, who patronizes the craft. He is considered the god of woodworking. The southernmost tower was erected in honor of the goddess Ganesa, daughter of the goddess Po Nagar. Ganesa is considered the goddess of youth and beauty.

Being on the territory of the complex, one wonders how people could build such interesting and complex structures many centuries ago. Ancient masters built towers from unbaked clay.

Tourists in order to go inside the towers must put on gray robes. Since the towers of Po Nagar are a functioning temple, it is strictly forbidden to go inside with bare shoulders and knees. Also, before entering the towers, you must take off your shoes. I liked the gray robes more than the colorful robes that were handed out in front of the temples on Koh Samui!

On the territory next to the towers there is a museum where you can learn a lot about the Cham civilization. There is an exhibition of ancient statues and paintings depicting Hindu gods. Not far from the towers you can buy various souvenirs, figurines, paintings.
Sometimes performances are arranged near the towers: folk dances are danced, mantras are sung, etc. But at the moment when we visited this place, we were surprised by the performance of a group of tourists from Annex Tour. They danced strange dances to the music next to main tower, repeating the movements of the guide.

The Po Nagar Towers are located on Mount Ku Lao, from here you can see beautiful view near the city of Nha Trang.

Despite the fact that I am far from Hinduism and not particularly fond of history, I really liked this place. There is a pleasant atmosphere, well-groomed territory, the towers surprise with their grandeur and beauty.

The temple complex is open to the public from 6 am to 6 pm. The cost of visiting is 21 thousand dong (1 dollar). Since the towers are located near the city center, you can reach them on foot, by taxi, city bus, or by our favorite means of transportation - a motorbike.

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At the top of Mount Ku Lao, from where you can see the whole of Nha Trang, the towers of Po Nagar are located. To believe that this Hindu and Buddhist temples more than 1000 years, it is almost impossible that they are so well preserved for such a respectable age.

The Po Nagar Towers were part of temple complex, built in the 7th-12th centuries AD. e., during the reign of Champa (or Champa), so in the literature you can find another name - Chamsky or Tyamsky towers. locals consider them a powerful spiritual place, so Buddhist ceremonies are held here, as well as a number of ritual ceremonies. Several thick columns adorn the main entrance to the towers, but there is another staircase built to the left of the columns for tourists. This is done in order to keep the old steps as long as possible.

A bit of history

Only four towers out of ten have survived to this day. They were built in different time, therefore differ markedly in architectural design and size. Each of the Po Nagar towers serves to worship a particular deity. Closing your eyes, it is easy to imagine how centuries ago sacrifices were made here, prayers for a rich harvest and requests for saving rain.

Getting inside the temple towers, you immediately feel the tart aroma of incense that fills the entire room with a mystical smoke screen. It is quite crowded here, even altars with Hindu deities can hardly fit.

The northern tower is the main and largest (its height reaches 28 m), it was built in honor of the queen mother Po Nagar. The entrance to the tower is decorated with an image of the god Shiva dancing on a bull, and inside you can see a 23-meter stone statue, which depicts the goddess Po Nagar herself with ten arms, sitting in a lotus position. Near north tower there is a museum. Three other towers are dedicated to the gods Kri Kambhu, Sandhaka and Ganesha.

Every year in March, the Po Nagar towers host a two-day Buddhist festival. These days, crowds of locals and tourists flock to the towers to admire theatrical performances and colorful rituals.

Cham Towers Po Nagar

Helpful information

Address: Nha Trang, 2 Thang, 4.

Opening hours: Monday - Sunday: from 6:00 to 18:00.

Entrance: 22,000 VDN, an English-speaking guide will give you a tour for 50,000-60,000 VDN, a taxi from the Old Town will cost about 70,000-80,000 VDN.

The museum complex is located near the city tourist areas. On the bridge over the Cai River, you will reach it in 30-35 minutes. In addition, the towers can be reached on a rented bike or bus number 4 (fare is 5000 VDN).

If you plan to admire the towers from the inside, then you need to take care of the dress code in advance. In active temples, it is assumed that the shoulders and knees are covered, and there should not be a headdress, it is customary to leave shoes at the entrance.

If your clothing does not meet the requirements, special hoodies can be obtained at the entrance. There is no dress code required to walk around the territory.

Inspection of the towers themselves takes about half an hour. Near the towers there is a small souvenir shop that sells colorful bracelets, jewelry, magnets, bags, backpacks and other themed items. Behind additional fee you will be taught the basics of weaving art and allowed to take a photo.

Prices on the page are for October 2018.

Cham Towers Po Nagar (Ponagar) in Nha Trang - super popular tourist place. It would seem that everything about him is already known, so much has been written and told that there should be no questions. But for some reason, every second tourist or traveler asks us the same question: “Is it worth visiting Po Nagar Towers or is it a waste of time?” Well, let's figure it out.

1. General information

The Cham towers in Nha Trang are a small green well-groomed area and functioning temples, where not only Buddhist ceremonies, but also the rites of ancient ancestors take place to this day.

Full title: Po Nagar Cham Towers

Working hours: daily from 6:00 to 18:00.

Entry fee: 22,000 VND.

Location: coordinates 12.265236, 109.195910, Cham towers are marked on our map of Nha Trang in the section "What to do in Nha Trang?" at the end of the post.

How to get there: by bus number 4 for 7,000 dong (tell the conductor "Po Nagar Cham Towers" and they will tell you where to get off), by taxi for 50,000 - 70,000 dong from the city center. Ride 10-15 min.

You can walk around the territory of the temple complex in any clothes. You can enter the temples only with covered knees and shoulders and only barefoot. If anything, at the entrance they give free bathrobes. The temples themselves are tiny, outwardly they look more interesting than inside.

2. A bit of history

The Cham towers of Po Nagar were built by the inhabitants of the now destroyed kingdom of Champa. In total, 8 towers were built, each of which was dedicated to a particular deity and was used for worship and sacrifice. The first tower was built in the 7th century AD and the last one in the 12th century. Only 4 turrets have survived to this day, so now the buildings are very carefully monitored and constantly repaired.

The Vietnamese believe that it is the Cham towers that protect Nha Trang from disasters and natural disasters, so if you are interested in the culture of Vietnam, then you should look at the towers with at least one eye. Small gardens are laid out around the surviving towers, in the souvenir shop there are a lot of souvenirs, vases and figurines of local, not Chinese production. There is also a tiny museum with photographs showing what the towers looked like in the early 20th century.

3. Do's and Don'ts

• Ride with a crowd of tourists within sightseeing tour and hope for a peaceful and peaceful holiday. Excursion tours- these are fast saturated programs, where either you are stupid and take a long time to take pictures and the whole bus is waiting for you or someone else is stupid and then you nervously shift from foot to foot in anticipation of slow tourists.
• Visit the Cham towers from January to early March and be surprised that many Chinese tourists walk there. At the end of winter and the beginning of spring, there are always a lot of Chinese in Vietnam, but 2017 broke all records. I think that next year there will be even more guests from China.
• Visit the Cham towers if you have already seen dozens of cool religious buildings in other parts of Asia. After the chic Angkor Wat with its colossal scale, the Nha Trang turrets will seem like a joke to you.

4. How to do

• Arrive by bus or taxi, or even stomp on foot.
• Arrive early in the morning when all the tourists are still sleeping.
• Treat the Cham towers as an occasion to take a look at the sights and walk around the beautiful well-groomed territory, not expecting anything special. It's just 4 towers.
• Arrange a mini-photo shoot: the pictures here are very good!
• Sit on a cozy observation platform overlooking the river.
• Watch performances and dances of artists in national dress.

Once the whole complex had quite an impressive size of about 500 square meters, but now it will take no more than 10 minutes to bypass the entire territory. If your goal is a leisurely walk, then I would lay 20-40 minutes for a leisurely sightseeing + rest in the shade and coffee at a local coffee shop. The territory of the temple complex, although small, is very beautiful and well-groomed.

Thousands of small red bricks, bizarre multi-armed deities outside and black walls inside. It's hard to believe that Po Nagar Cham Towers in Nha Trang are over a thousand years old, - they are too well preserved. Today is all about how to get to the towers on your own, what to see and how much it costs.

Po Nagar Towers in Nha Trang - these are Hindu and Buddhist temples built during the existence of the Champa principality(7th-12th century AD). That is why the towers are also called Cham or Tyam. They still operate as religious objects, despite the fact that Vietnam is a socialist republic and more than 80% of the population here are atheists. The Vietnamese consider the towers in Nha Trang to be a very strong spiritual place and conduct here not only Buddhist ceremonies, but also rites of the cult of ancestors. These are ancient and not very clear pagan rituals, sometimes with sacrifices!

Mount Cu Lao (Cù Lao), on which the towers are located, is an interesting place. You can see all of Nha Trang from here.

The entrance to the towers is solemnly decorated with large and small columns. If you close your eyes, you can imagine how many centuries ago, on a full moon, priests with torches walked among these columns, slowly and majestically climbing the steps to the towers themselves.

In order not to destroy the ancient steps, another staircase was built for tourists, bypassing the columns. As soon as we went upstairs, we immediately noticed people in gray robes. At first I thought they were Buddhist monks or other confessors. She even graciously invited them to enter the temple first.

But everything turned out to be much more prosaic. Gray hoodies are given out to naked tourists. So if you come to Po Nagar in shorts, mini-skirts and T-shirts with open arms, you will have to change clothes, or rather, put gray outfits over yours. After all, you have not forgotten that Po Nagar is a functioning temple? Arinka and Sasha love to dress up, so they decided to look around the Cham towers in appropriate clothes. It is also customary to take off your shoes before entering temples.

Only four towers have survived in Nha Trang. They differ in size and architecture, as they were built at different times over five centuries. Each of them is designed to worship a separate Hindu or Buddhist deity. Here they sacrificed animals and prayed to the gods for rain and a good harvest. For example, this is the militant goddess Durga, the killer of the buffalo demon.

The inside of Po Nagar towers smells of incense, incense sticks create a mystical fog, and against the background of black smoked walls, the gold of deities and accessories looks very exotic.

It is very crowded inside - altars with Hindu puppets-deities can hardly fit.

Pay attention to the structure of the walls inside. As for me, such black and red bricks are a great idea for the decor of some themed restaurant.

If you are in Nha Trang in March, then be sure to go to the two-day festival that the Vietnamese hold at the Po Nagar towers once a year. From March 21 to March 23, here you can watch unusual theatrical performances and witness real Hindu rituals.

Near the towers there is a souvenir shop, as well as weaver aunt who makes hand-made backpacks. By the way, for a small fee, you can learn weaving from her or just take a few photos as a keepsake.

On one of the benches we found empty pots decorated with New Year's "rain". Arinka decided that Winnie the Pooh was here and ate all the honey. Any guesses what these pots are really for?

If you are a fan of heavy and bulky souvenirs, then in Po Nagar you can buy such a clay god, hastily fashioned "antique".

Looking at the Cham towers is perhaps the most inexpensive entertainment for tourists in Nha Trang. Well, judge for yourself. Po Nagar is located very close to the center, it is easy to get here on a rented bike ($ 5 per day) or a taxi (a couple of dollars one way), if you have the desire, time and effort, you can walk (but not at noon!). The entrance ticket costs only 20 thousand dong ($1).

When inspecting the towers, you can do without a guide. The territory is small, there are only four brick buildings, and the whole necessary information about them on the internet. It will take you no more than a visit to Po Nagar more than an hour, A self-guided tour to the towers can be combined with a tour of Long Son Pagoda and big buddha on the mountain or spend the rest of the day at Thap Ba Spa. The hot springs are just a short drive from Po Nagar.

Cham towers– territory with active Buddhist temples, monuments of architecture. Currently, religious ceremonies are held here.

The entrance to the towers is decorated with columns of various heights. They are adjoined by 2 stairs: one for tourists, the other is a historically preserved attraction. Travelers are not allowed here because of the risk of damage to the structure. This staircase used to be a link between the priests and the world of the gods: priests passed along it, made sacrifices to the gods for a good harvest and rain.

The towers are made of red unbaked clay. Initially there were 10 of them. However, wars, storms, storms destroyed 6 monuments. Local authorities Every year a cultural monument is restored. At the construction site of the Cham towers previously existed ancient civilization. Meditations were held at this place, and priests were also trained to serve the gods.

The main tower deserves special attention. It was erected in honor of Ponagar, the Buddhist goddess. They worshiped her, made sacrifices for a good harvest. Craftsmen revered the goddess, considering her as a symbol of national craft. The tower is over 25 meters high. The upper part is decorated with mosaics and patterns. Three other monuments are towers in honor of the sons of Shiva.

The attraction is adjacent to the park. Here, the aroma of incense turns into a mist. Viewing the towers at night is a unique opportunity to appreciate the height and grace of the building.

Story

The period of tower construction dates back to the 8th century. The first monument was erected in 783 during the reign of Emperor Champa. Currently, Buddhist ceremonies, confessional processions, national carnivals and processions are held on the territory of the temple complex.

The temple has rich history. During its existence, it was repeatedly destroyed by pirates, invaders or as a result of hostilities. The locals have always believed in special energy towers and restored the structure.

Each tower was built in different historical periods, which left its mark on their architecture. In these places, sacrifices were made, prayers were made and marriages were made. Next to the main tower (in honor of the goddess Po Nagar) is a museum. Buddhist altars and belongings of monks of the 9th-10th centuries are located here.

Thap Chinh Tower was built in the 9th century. A few years later, it was plundered by local Malay pirates. Now adjacent to the tower is a statue of the goddess Shiva, who personifies the mind in Buddhism.

The central monument was built in the 8th century. There are no traditional decorations, ceramics and decorations. However, it was here that local monks kept valuables and gold. south tower built in honor of the goddess Ganache. The architecture allows us to draw a conclusion about the rich decoration and monumentality of the building.

Religious festivals are held on the territory of the attraction every year. Colorful carnivals, processions, national costumes are the main reason to visit the towers in early April.

How to get there

There are several main ways to visit the attraction:

• • Reach on foot. To do this, just move north along the main tourist street cities. There will be a bridge on the way. Behind him, 50 meters will be the entrance to the complex.
  • By taxi. The fare will depend on the original point of departure. However, all machines are equipped with a meter. The price should not exceed 3-4 dollars.
  • On public transport. Bus number 4 runs around the city. It moves along all the popular sightseeing streets locality. If you go from the center, then you need to get off at the first stop after the bridge.

Entrance to the territory of the towers is paid. Every adult must purchase a ticket. The cost of the passage is democratic - no more than 35 rubles. Adults can accompany a child up to 12 years of age free of charge.

Cham towers are a place with active Buddhist temples. If there is no desire to visit them, then there are no restrictions on how to move around the adjacent territory. Entrance to local pagodas is free. However, you must cover your knees and shoulders and remove your shoes at the entrance.

It is not recommended to visit the attraction in winter time of the year. During this period, tourists from China come here, which minimizes the already limited space. It is also advisable to come here without an excursion, because. there will be more time for photography and viewing the towers. Observation deck offers a view of the entire city. Several times a day you can see the performances of local artists in national costumes. They perform songs in their own dialect, and also provide the opportunity to take a photo for a nominal sum.