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My Son Sanctuary

Duy Xuyen District, Quang Nam Province, Vietnam

VerifiedDocumented history
Deities
Shiva (as Bhadreshvara)
Traditions
shaiva
Worship status
heritage
Coordinates
15.7645, 108.1256
Best time to visit
February to May (dry season, before the heaviest heat/monsoon) for visiting the archaeological site.
How to reach
About 40 km southwest of Hoi An and Da Nang; reachable by organized tour or private car/motorbike from either city.

Location

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A cluster of Hindu temple ruins built between the 4th and 13th centuries CE by the kings of Champa, an Indianized kingdom of what is now central Vietnam, My Son was the Champa kingdom’s religious and intellectual capital, founded under King Bhadravarman I (r. 380-413) and dedicated principally to Shiva under local names such as Bhadreshvara. Heavily damaged by American bombing in August 1969 during the Vietnam War, it survives today as a UNESCO World Heritage archaeological site (inscribed 1999) documenting one of Southeast Asia’s major historical Hindu civilizations, though it is no longer an active site of worship.

Sources

  • historical record: Champa-kingdom construction (4th-13th century CE, founded under King Bhadravarman I and expanded by successive rulers through Harivarman II/IV in the 10th-11th centuries), Shaiva dedication (to Shiva as Bhadreshvara), and Vietnam War-era bombing damage (August 1969) are extensively documented archaeological and historical record; UNESCO World Heritage inscription (1999).
  • historical record: Cross-checked during verification pass against Wikipedia's account: construction ran from the 4th century (founding by Bhadravarman I, r. 380-413) to the 13th century (latest dated inscription 1243 CE, under Jaya Indravarman V); the site fell into disuse after the Cham lost the region to the Vietnamese in the early 15th century. US bombing that destroyed much of the complex, including temple A1, is dated to August 1969.

For review

  • No longer an active site of worship; included as a major historical Hindu heritage site of the Champa civilization.
  • Some secondary/tertiary sources round the construction period to '4th-14th century'; the more precisely sourced Wikipedia account places the latest dated construction/inscription activity at 1243 CE (13th century), so the 14th century end date is not independently confirmed.