Take a peek around this fascinating Cham temple from the 8th - 11th centuries. The Cham people are now an ethnic minority living closer to Denang than Nha Trang, however they still come to enjoy festivals in the late spring & early summer.
My buddy, Gardiner & I explored the exterior of the buildings on a day when the venue had been let out for a Chinese festival - go figure! In order to go into the main temple hall, the Po Nagar Kalan, one has to don the robes of a monk and undergo a merit ceremony under the watchful eyes of a security guard. We frankly just did not have the time. Very few folks were there to pay merit to the goddess Po Nagar, most folks were milling around taking selfies waiting for the Chinese festival to begin.
There were a few dancers who were entertaining the crowd, getting them in a festive mood. An interesting side note, the Goddess Po Nagar has been linked by historians to the wife of Shiva and Durga, the buffalo-demon slayer, the Hindu goddesses Bhagavati.
Since the Cham people have a basis/historical record of using a dialect of Sanskrit this explains the roots in Hinduism.
Thanks for watching - blessings be - SunnyJ
Voice over by SunnyJ
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