Rough Guide to Vietnam - Jan Dodd [197]
The central provinces | Hoi An and around | My Son |
Groups C and D
Originally separated from Group B by a wall, the Group C complex is quite distinct from it. This time the central kalan, C1, is standing and fairly well preserved, though the statue of Shiva that it was built to house long since went to Da Nang’s museum, leaving only its base in place. The statues of standing gods around the walls have been allowed to stay, though, as has the carved lintel that runs across the entrance.
East of B and C, the two long, windowed mandapa (meditation halls) that comprise Group D have now both been converted into modest galleries. Precisely aligned with the foundations of B1 is D1, the mandapa, where the priests would meditate prior to proceeding through the (now ruined) gate B2 to worship. It also contains a lingam, the remains of a carving of Shiva, and a statue of Nandi, Shiva’s bull, while in D2 you’ll see a fine rendition of many-armed Shiva dancing, and, beside the steps up to its eastern entrance, an impressive statue of Vishnu’s vehicle, Garuda. The ground between these two galleries was named the Court of Stelae by early archaeologists, a reference to the stone tablets, etched with Sanskrit script, that litter it. As well as these stelae, altars and statues of deities would have stood in the court, though all that remain of these are their plinths, on whose sides are sculpted images of dancing women, arms raised to carry their gods.
The central provinces | Hoi An and around | My Son |
Groups A and G
East of Group D, signs direct you to Groups A and G. Bomb damage was particularly cruel in the vicinity of Group A, reducing the once spectacular kalan, A1, to a heap of toppled columns and lintels that closely resembles a collapsed hall of cards. Unusually, A1 was constructed with both an eastern and a western entrance. Within, a huge lingam base is ringed by a number of detailed, fifteen-centimetre-high figures at prayer. You’ll pass A9, the mandapa, and A8, the gate, en route from B, C and D; A11 would have been the repository room.
The remains of hilltop Group G, 60m north of Group A, are equally poorly preserved. However, you can still pick out horned gargoyles, sporting fangs and bulbous eyes, carved into the corners of the main kalan. The base of a lingam stands at the kalan’s southwestern corner, with breasts around its base.
The central provinces |
Da Nang
Sitting on the southerly curve of a vast, well-protected bay, DA NANG is central Vietnam’s dominant port and its third largest city. During the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries trading vessels waiting to unload at Fai Fo (Hoi An) often sheltered in nearby Da Nang Bay, until Hoi An’s harbour began silting up and Da Nang developed into a major port in its own right. After 1802, when Hué became capital of Vietnam, Da Nang naturally served as the principal point of arrival for foreign delegations to the royal court. However, the real spur to the city’s growth came in the American War when the neighbouring air base spawned the greatest concentration of US military personnel in South Vietnam.
Walking around central Da Nang today, however, it’s the earlier, French presence which is more apparent, in the leafy boulevards and colonial edifices along the riverfront promenade. Considering its size (it has a population of around 750,000), its history and the fact that this is a major transport hub offering air connections as well as road and rail links, Da Nang is an unexpectedly amiable place. Though the city harbours few specific sights of its own beyond the Cham Museum with its unique collection of Cham sculpture, it makes a reasonable base for exploring this stretch of coast. Some of Vietnam’s best beaches are to be found only a few kilometres away (see "Non Nuoc Beach"), while, further afield, My Son (see "My Son") and Hoi An can be covered on day-trips.
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The central provinces | Da Nang |