Going to Quy Nhon (Binh Dinh district), tourists not only can witness beautiful beaches and majestic scenery, but also see ancient Cham towers dating back thousands of years. Among them, the Twin Towers is one of the typical architectural works that attracts a large number of tourists to visit and explore.
Going to Quy Nhon (Binh Dinh District), tourists not only can witness beautiful beaches and majestic scenery, but also see ancient Cham towers dating back thousands of years. Among them, the Twin Towers is one of the typical architectural works that attracts a large number of tourists to visit and explore.
The Twin Towers are located in the center of Quy Nhon, in a large space with an area of up to 6000m2, which is an ideal condition for tourists to visit. This is one of the eight remaining clusters of Cham towers in Binh Dinh province and is also one of the Cham cultural and architectural relics with unique religious colors.
According to documents kept at the Twin Towers Relic Management Board, the tower also has another name which is Hung Thanh Tower dating from the late 12th century to the early 13th century. This is the religious architectural work of the ancient Champa Kingdom. In the Cham language, the towers are called kalan, meaning mausoleum, which are places that kings built to worship their gods. The gods worshipped here can be the god of destruction Siva, the elephant-headed god of fortune, Ganesha or Buddhas, depending on the beliefs and respect of each king. However, ancient Champa society had a combination of royal power and divine power, so many towers also were also for worshippingthe Champa kings.
The tower has a unique structure, consisting of two towers, the large tower is about 25 metres high, the small tower is 23 metres highand the main doors of the two towers both face the South. The tower is built of baked bricks stacked tightly together with a special adhesive, a unique construction technique only found in the Cham period that people have not yet understood how it was done. The tower is structured in three main parts. The base of the tower is made using blocks of stones (the large tower), bricks (the small tower) which are stacked firmly.The body of the tower is a square block and the top has a curved surface formed by tightly stacked baked bricks.
The unique patterns of the Twin Towers.
Regarding the large tower, it is quite well-propotioned. The body and roof are both delicately treated with slightly constricted edgings to make the architectural layout tighter. The two sides are decorated with symmetrical patterns combined with 21 delicately carved dancing girls around the edging. The part separating the roof and the body of the tower is decorated with a meditating monk and on both sides are symmetrical elephants. The meticulousness of the Cham will make you feel that this is truly imbued with the cultural identity of the nation.
Ancient dances of the Cham are recreated for visitors.
The small tower also has a similar structure to the large tower, but on the edging, instead of dancing girls, the decorative carvings show a herd of 13 deer with very different appearances.
Nowadays, the Twin Towers are increasingly attracting domestic and international tourists not only because of the unique, sophisticated, and sharp architecture of the Champa, but this place also leaves in the hearts of visitors special cultural values. The dances of Cham the girls have been restored, making the experience more vivid./.
Some useful information for tourists visiting the Twin Towers in Quy Nhon:
+ Entrance fee for adults: 20,000 dong (approximately 0.79 US dollars)/ticket; The entrance fee for children under 1.2m is free.
+ Opening hours: From 7 a.m to 6 p.m every day.
- By Khanh Long/VNP
Translated by Phuong Tra