IOverview
Thiên Y A Na is the principal Holy Mother of the Viet in central Vietnam. She was originally Po Inu Nagar, the Mother of the Land of the Cham people, worshipped at the Po Nagar towers in Nha Trang for centuries. When the Viet settled the region, they adopted the goddess, gave her a Sino-Vietnamese name and honoured her as a Holy Mother. The main Viet centre of her worship is Huệ Nam Shrine, known as Hòn Chén, in Huế.
Her worship has no church or central organisation. At Po Nagar in Nha Trang, Cham and Viet worshippers both come to pray. In Huế she has been drawn into the Four Palaces system, and mediumship at Hòn Chén follows the Four Palaces style. It is a clear example of Cham and Viet spiritual life intertwining in central Vietnam.
IIHistory
- Before 781Cham sanctuary at Nha TrangThe shrine of the goddess Yang Pu Nagara existed before 781. A stele of that year records King Satyavarman restoring it after a raid.
- 9th to 12th centuriesRoyal Cham patronageSuccessive Cham kings made offerings and expanded the tower complex.
- 17th centuryViet adoptionThe Viet moved into the Nha Trang area and took over the sanctuary, calling it the tower of Thiên Y Thánh Mẫu.
- 1832Minh Mạng recognises Hòn ChénAccording to records cited in the heritage file, after the empress recovered from an eye illness through worship there, Emperor Minh Mạng recognised the Hòn Chén shrine.
- 1856Phan Thanh Giản's steleThe high official Phan Thanh Giản had a stele carved at Po Nagar recording the legend of Thiên Y A Na.
- 1886Huệ Nam ShrineEmperor Đồng Khánh rebuilt the shrine and named it Huệ Nam Điện, bestowing grace on the south.
- 2012Po Nagar festival listedThe Po Nagar festival, also called the Thiên Y A Na Holy Mother festival, entered the national intangible heritage inventory.
- 10 December 2024Huệ Nam festival listedUnder Decision 3981/QĐ-BVHTTDL.
IIILegend and Belief
The Viet legend tells of a fairy maiden who appeared in the Đại An hills and was raised by an old couple who grew melons. She later floated out to sea on a log of fragrant aloeswood, reached the north, married a prince, and returned to her homeland to teach the people farming, weaving and livelihoods. Worshippers see her as the mother of the land, the founder of agriculture and protector of coastal people.
For the Cham, Po Inu Nagar is the goddess who created the land, trees and rice, linked to Hinduism through her identification with the goddess Bhagavati. For the Viet, she was placed within the Holy Mother system and in Huế is often honoured as a Mother of the Heaven Palace. At the same sanctuary, each community understands the goddess through its own frame of belief.
Some regard Thiên Y A Na as a Cham deity whose name the Viet merely borrowed. In fact the Viet created their own legend, placed her in the Mother system, gave her royal Nguyễn recognition and built her own shrine in Huế. Conversely, it is not right to say she became wholly Viet, since the Cham still keep their own worship of Po Inu Nagar.
IVFestivals
The Po Nagar festival is held from the 20th to the 23rd of the third lunar month in Nha Trang. Its main rites include changing the robes of the goddess's statue, lantern offerings, ritual dance, folk song, water and offering processions and classical sacrifices. Alongside Cham people from Ninh Thuận and Bình Thuận, Kinh people and other ethnic groups of the central coast and highlands take part.
The Huệ Nam festival in Huế is held in the third and seventh lunar months. Its rites include processions by water on the Perfume River and by land, ceremonies at the shrine and at the communal house of Hải Cát village, and mediumship sessions in the Four Palaces style.
VPlaces of Worship
| Site | Location | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Po Nagar towers | Nha Trang, Khánh Hòa | Cham tower complex on Cù Lao hill, visited by Cham and Viet worshippers |
| Huệ Nam Shrine, Hòn Chén | Ngọc Trản Mountain, Huế | About 16 structures on the hillside, the Viet centre of Mother worship in central Vietnam |
| Local shrines to the Lady | Along the central coast | Many coastal and riverside villages keep shrines to her |
There is no central organisation. Each site is looked after by a heritage management board, a village community or shrine keepers. In Huế, mediums and ritual musicians maintain Four Palaces mediumship at Hòn Chén.
VIToday
Both main centres of Thiên Y A Na worship hold festivals recognised as national intangible heritage: Po Nagar in 2012 and Huệ Nam in 2024. Po Nagar is both a place of worship and one of Nha Trang's major sights. Hòn Chén remains the centre of Mother worship in Huế, where medium lineages gather each festival season. Her worship is living evidence of how the Cham and Viet came to share one goddess over the centuries.
VIISymbol of the Branch
No symbol of its own is recorded with a source for this branch, so the library uses the common symbol of the path.
VIIIOther Branches of Đạo Mẫu, the Mother Goddess religion
Northern Mother Goddess Worship of the Three and Four PalacesTín ngưỡng thờ Mẫu Tam phủ, Tứ phủThe fullest form, centred on Mother Lieu Hanh, with a four-realm pantheon and spirit possession rituals accompanied by chau van.Worship of the Lady of the Realm of Sam MountainChúa Xứ Thánh Mẫu, Bà Chúa XứOne of the two principal Mother figures of the south, worshipped at Sam Mountain near Chau Doc.Uses the common symbol of the pathWorship of the Holy Mother of Bà Đen Mountain靈山聖母 Linh Sơn Thánh Mẫu, Bà ĐenThe second principal Mother figure of the south, worshipped on Ba Den Mountain in Tay Ninh.Uses the common symbol of the pathThiên Y A Na Mother Worship of Central Vietnam天依阿那 Thiên Y A Na, Po Inu NagarThe central Vietnamese form, blending the Cham Mother of the Land Po Inu Nagar with Viet belief.Uses the common symbol of the pathIXSources
The library cross-checks the sources below. Where they disagree, the page gives both.
?Quick Questions
Are Thiên Y A Na and Po Inu Nagar the same?
The Viet adopted the Cham goddess Po Inu Nagar and called her Thiên Y A Na. Both communities worship at Po Nagar in Nha Trang, but each understands her through its own beliefs and legends.
Where is Hòn Chén shrine?
On Ngọc Trản Mountain beside the Perfume River in Huế. Its official name is Huệ Nam Shrine, given by Emperor Đồng Khánh in 1886.
When is the Po Nagar festival?
From the 20th to the 23rd of the third lunar month each year, in Nha Trang. It has been national intangible heritage since 2012.
Is there mediumship for Thiên Y A Na in Huế?
Yes. At Hòn Chén, mediumship sessions follow the Four Palaces system, with Thiên Y A Na honoured as a Mother within it.