According to Dicision of Culture and Information Ministry, National Museum of Vietnamese History co-ordinated Culture and Information Department of Ninh Thuan province to carry on investigating and excavating archaeological site of Hoa lai tower-temple in order to serve project of rebuild and restore them.
According to Dicision of Culture and Information Ministry, National Museum of Vietnamese History co-ordinated Culture and Information Department of Ninh Thuan province to carry on investigating and excavating archaeological site of Hoa lai tower-temple in order to serve project of rebuild and restore them.
This site is nearby N
o 1A aventure, about 14km far from Phan Rang town in the Northern. It belong to Ba Thap (three towers) village, Bac Phong commune, Thuan Bac district, Ninh Thuan province. Apart from the name of Hoa Lai tower-temple, it is also named Ba Thap, Hakaral…. All tower-temples directed to East. There are 2 tower-temples were remained: Bac and Nam (Northern and Southern tower-temples) in this site now, Thap Giua (Middle tower-temple) is only a terrytory mound with square 350m2 and higher around area 1.2m – 1.5m. This is field where was excavated by archaeologists in this time.
Through this excavation with 4 excavated holes, 5 explored holes (square 367m2) at the Middle tower-temple, Eastern, Western, Southern sites recovered all remains of Middle tower-temple with its tower gate, surrounded wall and architectural remain of front of Southern tower-temple.
There was a hall with entrance, tower-temple foundation were recovered at the Middle tower-temple. Through them, we knew materials used building tower-temple were the rectangle bricks mesuring: lengthern: 33cm – 40cm, large: 18cm – 22cm, thick: 5cm – 8cm. The walls of the tower-temples were built by technique: grinding bricks each other for making sticky material which made these bricks were stuck themselve. On the external wall faces were also directly sculptured bands of patterns as: lotus, grooves, lions, Garuda mythical birds, elephants…. This tower-temple’s size: 12m x 12m.
Apart from the Middle tower-temple, remains of the gate tower (size: 6,4m x 6,8m), of the Eastern, Western, Northern walls (size: 115m x 52,2m) and architectural remain at front of Southern tower-temple were defined.
Particularly, through 2th excavation, archaeologists also defined, there were 2 architectural layers: Before, the Middle tower-temple was possible a open-air worshipthrone which was built the tower-temple then.
This is an important document which contributed to make clear history of foundation and development of Champa tower-temple.
Archaeologists also defined, there were the gate tower and walls which separated other tower-temples in each tower-temple area. Results from these archaeological excavations respected that: this tower-temple area was built and expanded in may periods.
Date: According to conclusion of Henry Parmentier scholar , Hoa Lai tower-templedated middle VIII – early IX century. Up to now, may scientists also agree with his conclusion.
Archaeological excavated results from Hoa Lai tower-temple site was only beginning. Studying, excavating will be needed to carry oout in the next time in order to make more clear the relic plan as well as procession of existance and position of these tower-temples in history of Champa kingdom.