Po Klong Gerai Towers of Vietnam
Po Klong Gerai Towers are perched on a hillside just to the west of Phan Rang and situated on the road from Phan Rang to Dalat. The tower is also known as Po Klaung Garai, PoKlaun Garai and Buu Son. It is located on Trau Hill, in Do Vinh Ward, 9 Kilometers west of Phan Rang City. Po Klong Garai Tower is associated with the history of the formation and development of Panduranga – the southernmost land of the ancient Cham Pa Kingdom, now in the provinces of Ninh Thuan and Binh Thuan.
These are among the last of the towers that the Cham built, dated to approximately the 13th or 14th Century. There are three surviving structures enclosed by a rectangular perimeter wall: the main tower (kalan), a small gate tower to the east, and one of the smaller buildings of the type that was thought to be used to prepare offerings or store religious articles. They are in relatively good condition, particularly the main tower, whose corner-towers and flame-decorations are either intact or restored.
This building was built from red-fired bricks. It is a complex of three towers: the Main Tower worships the statue of King Po Klong Garai, the Gate Tower in the east, and the tower of Fire God slightly heads to the south with a boat-shaped roof. Of these three towers, the Gate Tower and the Fire Tower are not used for worship; only the main tower is the place to worship King Po Klong Garai.
In front of the cluster of relics is the Gate Tower, with a height of around 10m carved with meticulous patterns. This place was the entrance to ceremonies, and offerings and welcomed guests of the king in the past.
The Fire Tower is in the south, where the typical architecture of the traditional houses of the Cham people is shown with the Sa Huỳnh Culture.
The Fire Tower is 9.31m high, 8.18m long and 5m wide. The two roofs of the curved boat-shaped tower are similar to the roofs of a long communal house of the ethnic minorities in the Central Highlands. This is the place of sacrifice of the monks, the place to store the imperial mantle and the necessary items of the king of Champa.
The towers has become an attractive destination in Ninh Thuan for tourists to experience the local culture. It has also been recognised as a Special National Heritage site and has become one of the country’s most beautiful Cham tower complexes.
