Rough Guide to Vietnam - Jan Dodd [174]
Visitors to the complex approach the towers via a curling flight of steps that is often swarming with beggars, but Cham worshippers would have entered the mandapa, or meditation and offerings hall, whose stone pillars are still visible on the hillside; and from there they would have mounted a set of steep steps directly up to the main tower.
The complex’s largest and most impressive tower is the 25-metre-high northern tower, built in 817 by Harivarman I and dedicated to Yang Ino Po Nagar, tutelary Goddess Mother of the Kingdom and a manifestation of Uma, Shiva’s consort. Restored sections stand out for their lighter hue, but the lotus-petal and spearhead motifs that embellish the tower are original, as is the lintel over the outer door, on which a lithe four-armed Shiva dances, flanked by musicians, on the back of an ox. The two sandstone pillars supporting this lintel bear spidery Cham inscriptions.
Inside, a vestibule tapering to a pyramidal ceiling leads to the main chamber, where a fog of incense hangs in the air. The golden statue that originally stood in here was pilfered by the Khmer in the tenth century and replaced by the black stone statue of Uma still here today – albeit minus its head, which was plundered by the French, and now resides in a Parisian museum. The ten arms of cross-legged Uma are nowadays obscured by a gaudy yellow robe, and a doll-like face has been added. Yang Ino Po Nagar is still worshipped as the protectress of the city, and the statue is bathed during the Merian Festival each March.
Possessing neither the height nor the intricacy of the main kalan, the central tower, dating back to the seventh century, is dedicated to the god Cri Cambhu, and sees a steady flow of childless couples pass through to pray for fertility at its lingam. The southern tower is the smallest of the four, and also features a lingam inside. Beneath its boat-shaped roof, half-formed statues in relief are still visible at the northwest tower, and the frontal view of an elephant is just about discernible on the western facade, its serpentine trunk now blackened with age.
The Po Nagar Cham towers
The south–central coast | Around Nha Trang |
Thap Ba Hot Springs
A side-road heading west just to the north of the Po Nagar Cham towers takes you through distant suburbs of Nha Trang to Thap Ba Hot Springs (daily 7am–7.30pm; 058/383 4939, www.thapbahotspring.com.vn; prices vary according to treatment chosen). There are many different options for pampering your body but if you believe, as the brochure claims, that “soaking in mineral mud is very interesting”, you can ooze down into a tub of the messy stuff for half an hour (about $5) and see what wonders it does for your skin. After allowing the mud to dry on the skin, take an invigorating shower, then a swim in the mineral-water pool or stand under a mineral waterfall. Finally, finish off with a water massage from a high-pressure spray. The waters here are rich in sodium silicate chloride, which has beneficial effects on stress, arthritis and rheumatism. The place also has a VIP spa and is well known by most hotels, who can arrange transport.
The south–central coast | Around Nha Trang |
Hon Chong Promontory and Beach
Crossing Tran Phu Bridge at the north end of Tran Phu leads to the Hon Chong Promontory, a finger of granite boulders dashed by the sea. It’s quite possible to clamber down to the rocks, the largest of which is said to bear a handprint, left, if you believe the local folklore, by a clumsy giant who slipped and fell while ogling a bathing fairy. The headland above the rocks makes a refreshingly blustery venue for a fresh coconut bought at one of the stalls in the shantytown of cafés and souvenir stalls here. Looking northwest you’ll spot Nui Co Tien, or the Heavenly Maid Mountains, so called because their three ridges resemble the head, breasts and legs of a woman.
Immediately up the coast from the promontory is Hon Chong Beach, scruffier and shinglier than the city beach and not so clean, but more secluded. Cheap seafood restaurants proliferate