Champa Architecture

Champa architecture is the building tradition of the Cham civilization, which flourished along the central and southern coasts of what is now Vietnam for roughly a thousand years between 500 and 1700 AD. Unlike the neighboring Khmer, who built in grey sandstone, the Cham constructed their temples from reddish fired brick, a material choice that remains visible at surviving sites across the Vietnamese countryside. Major temple complexes include My Son near Da Nang, home to the Bhadresvara temple that served as northern Champa's principal religious foundation, Do Ban, also called Vijaya, near Quy Nhon, Po Nagar near Nha Trang, whose Temple of Yan Po Nagar served as southern Champa's primary foundation and dates between the eighth and thirteenth centuries, and Po Klong Garai near Phan Rang. A typical Cham temple complex combined a kalan, the brick sanctuary tower housing the deity, a mandapa entry hallway, a kosagrha or fire-house with a saddle-shaped roof for valuables and ritual cooking, and a gopura gate-tower, reflecting the broader Hindu temple traditions of Greater India.