Po Klong Garai Towers
A sacred impression on Trau Hill
Po Klong Garai Towers are located on Trau Hill (Mbuen Hala) in Do Vinh Ward, Khanh Hoa Province. The towers were built based on a common Hindu-influenced model. Although built on the model of a Hindu tower, the Cham towers are smaller and influenced by indigenous culture. Po Klong Garai is one of the most beautiful and complete Cham tower complexes remaining today. The red brick hue, the layout of three structures, and the high, open location make the tower complex appear powerful and solemn, yet not detached from the sun-drenched and windy landscape of Panduranga.
The Po Klong Garai towers were built around the late 13th to 14th centuries by King Jaya Sinhavarman III to worship the god Shiva. It was not until after the 15th century that the Cham people localized them to worship the King Po Klong Garai (Po Klong Garai, Po Klaong Girai). This is not only an ancient architectural monument but also a sacred space associated with Po Klong Garai - a figure who carries both historical significance and is deified in the memory of the Cham community through many centuries.
The Po Klong Garai towers were built in the context where Shaivism had taken deep root in Cham life. However, what is special is that the structure was later associated with the worship of King Po Klong Garai (Po Klaong Girai) - a figure remembered by the community as a king who contributed to water management, agriculture, and the protection of the residents.
Po Klong Garai reigned over the Champa kingdom for 54 years (1151-1205). He ruled the country in prosperity and made immense contributions to digging canals and building dams to irrigate fields; this is most clearly demonstrated by the Nha Trinh and Lam Cam dams, structures that still serve agricultural development to this day.
A complex of three structures on the hilltop
An architectural ensemble with clear alignment and layers
According to documents by French researcher H. Parmentier (who surveyed from 1909 to 1918), Po Klong Garai is a large architectural complex consisting of 6 structures. Currently, the relic site retains three towers: the Gate Tower, the Fire Tower, and the Main Tower. Besides the three existing towers, there was also a watchtower in the Southeast along with traces of a tower base in the North and Southwest. There is a hypothesis that there might have been a storage building (a long tower or longhouse) that collapsed, leaving only a brick foundation in front of the Main Tower. Additionally, there is a small shrine to the West built by the Cham people before 1975 to worship Po Klong Garai's wife, Bia Nai Kuer.
Regarding construction techniques, Cham towers are mainly made of red fired brick, with each brick typically measuring 35 x 18 x 5 cm. French researchers and, more recently, Polish experts have studied the adhesive used in building Cham towers. The adhesive used by the ancient Cham people here is dark brown; only a thin layer between the bricks was enough to ensure sturdiness and durability.
Main Tower - the heart of the relic
A powerful, balanced tower block rich with visual rhythm
As the tower worshiping the god Shiva, and later Po Klong Garai, it is built at the center of the hill and is the largest in scale. The tower is 20.50m high (13.80m long; 10.71m wide). It consists of 4 levels, built on a square floor plan—a traditional architectural style—with a rectangular interior oriented East-West and an entrance opening to the East.
Standing before the Main Tower, one can feel the tightly joined surfaces, the rhythmic false columns, the niches, and the roof layers creating a cohesive structure. This is a place that converges religious, artistic, and communal memory values.
Gate Tower and Fire Tower
Two small structures that dictate the rhythm of the whole
The Gate Tower stands opposite the Main Tower and has a square floor plan facing East. It is a miniature version of the Main Tower, 8.65m high (5.10m long; 4.85m wide), with two doors connecting East to West. The tower is also built based on the principle of tapering upward, similar to the Main Tower.
Meanwhile, the Fire Tower is located to the South to worship the God of Fire; it has a boat-shaped curved roof, which is quite different from the shape and structure of the Main and Gate towers. The tower is elongated in an East-West direction, has a rectangular floor plan, and is 9.31m high (8.18m long; 5.00m wide). The tower has three doors connecting to the East, South, and North, with the South side being a window. The exterior wall surface is decorated with pilasters; the long wall has 5 columns, and the short wall has 3 columns, but there are no decorative figures at the base. The pilasters at the wall corners protrude more than those on the Main and Gate towers; the column bases belong to the simple molding type, and the tower has 2 small levels above.
Worship statue of King Po Klong Garai
Where royalty meets divinity
Mukhalinga Po Klong Garai Statue: The statue of Po Klong Garai is crafted on a Linga-Yoni, a creative symbol of the god Shiva, which is worshipped inside the main Po Klong Garai tower. This is a unique original artifact, a sculpture in which the artist skillfully and uniquely expressed the Mukhalinga image, featuring a head sculpted in the image of a king attached to the Linga—an abstract image of the God Shiva combined with the image of a majestic and creative king.
The perfect combination of the two elements of divinity and royalty as one exists only in the statue of Po Klong Garai. With these factors, the Po Klong Garai statue was recognized as a National Treasure by Decision No. 73/QD-TTg dated January 18, 2024.
When Trau Hill wakes up during the Kate season
The ancient tower returns to the rhythm of the Cham community life
Po Klong Garai Tower is the center of religious ceremonies for Cham residents in the region. Among them, Po Klong Garai tower is where the largest and most grand festival is held.
Every year, many rituals take place, such as: The Tower Opening Ceremony (Peh Bimbeng Yang); the Rain Prayer Ceremony (Yuer Yang); the Kate Festival; and the ceremony for the Mother Goddess Po Inư Nưgar (Cambur). Among these, the most prominent and attention-grabbing is the Kate Festival. The Cham people organize the Kate Festival to worship deities such as Po Klong Garai, Po Rome, and to commemorate ancestors and the heaven and earth that have protected them. The Kate festival takes place in a large space, and is organized during the first week of the waxing moon starting from the 1st of the 7th month of the Cham calendar (approximately October in the Gregorian calendar) and lasts for an entire month, which is why the Cham people often call it Bilan Kate (Kate month).
