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Turning back time: Restoration work in progress at the G1 tower in My Son Cham Tower Complex in |
QUANG
The
The college, founded by King Indravarman II in 875, was an important spiritual site in Indrapura, the capital city of the
Recognised by the Culture Ministry as a National Heritage Site in 2001, the
Visitors must make their way through paths covered with wild plants and creepers to reach the
The mossy tower which is five metres high is in danger of collapsing.
"Seven years ago, we used wood to enforce the tower, " said Truong Van Viet, chairman of Binh Dinh Bac Commune's People's Committee.
"The wood has rotted over the years. We don't know when the tower will topple, " Viet said.
According to Viet, a great number of relics in the college have been lost and thousands of old bricks were taken by local people to build their homes.
"We need funds and support from the province to preserve the heritage site, " Viet said.
The
Chien Dan is a group of three towers built in the 11th or 12th century and dedicated to three deities of Hinduism, the dominant religion in the
Sandstone bases featuring elaborately carved bas reliefs are in a decrepit state.
At the
Most visitors to the tower are surprised at its quietness. The heritage site receives few visitors each day because it is not a destination in most tours offered by local travel agencies to central
Many Champa temple tower ruins, located in many communes in the province, are badly in need of restoration work.
The Quang Nam People's Committee recently approved a project worth more than VND42 billion(US$2million) to urgently repair and upgrade 121 local heritage relics, many of which belong to the erstwhile
