Looking up from the foot of Xóm Bóng Bridge, visitors see a low knoll jutting out beside the mouth of the Cái River, crowned by four dark red brick tower temples arranged in staggered rows. Climbing the steep stone steps leads first to a terrace of octagonal brick columns whose roof has long vanished. Beyond that colonnade stands the main sanctuary tower. Its narrow doorway faces east, and inside the dim chamber a female stone statue sits upon a lotus pedestal, draped in colorful silk robes offered by pilgrims.
That image represents Po Nagar, the mother goddess of the Cham people, whom Vietnamese residents of the region revere as Holy Mother Thiên Y A Na (Thiên Y A Na Thánh Mẫu). Built as a Cham Hindu temple complex rather than a shrine founded by the Kinh majority, this sanctuary is a rare Champa monument where living worship has never been interrupted and where two ethnic communities stand in prayer on the same sacred ground.
IPo Nagar and Holy Mother Thiên Y A Na
The deity enshrined here bears three layers of names, and those three names trace the three historical strata of the sanctuary. Her Cham name is Yang Po Inư Nagar, meaning the Mother Goddess of the Realm. Her title in Sanskrit inscriptions at the site is Bhagavati, a classical Hindu epithet of the supreme goddess. The name later given by Vietnamese settlers is Thiên Y A Na Thánh Mẫu, shortened in everyday speech to Bà (the Lady), which gave the entire complex its Vietnamese name Tháp Bà (the Lady's Towers).
In Cham Hinduism, known locally as Cham Balamon, cosmic divine power has two aspects, the quiescent aspect belonging to the male god Shiva and the dynamic aspect belonging to Shakti, creative energy envisioned in female form. The Sanskrit title Bhagavati on the steles here belongs to that second aspect, identifying the indigenous mother goddess with the consort of Shiva, so Po Nagar is revered not as a minor local spirit but as the feminine manifestation of generative cosmic power.
In their own oral tradition, the Cham recount her story in earthly terms, saying that she was born from sky clouds and sea foam, created the land, agarwood, and rice, and taught the people how to cultivate rice, grow mulberries, raise silkworms, and weave cloth. That is the portrait of a founding and civilizing deity. The two understandings do not exclude each other, as the stone steles speak in the language of Sanskrit theology while oral tradition speaks in the language of cultivators.
In terms of epigraphic evidence, the complex preserves around twenty-eight inscriptions in Sanskrit and Old Cham recording how Cham monarchs erected temples, dedicated statues, and endowed rice fields. The inscriptions state that an earlier wooden sanctuary in the region of Kauthara (present-day Nha Trang) was raided and burned by seaborne invaders from Java in 774, after which King Satyavarman rebuilt the sanctuary in brick in 784. These steles confirm the title Bhagavati and establish that the site functioned as an official royal ritual center rather than a village shrine. They also reveal that the statue venerated today was not the first image in the sanctum.
In 918, King Indravarman III commissioned a golden statue of the goddess Bhagavati, which was carried off by invading Khmer forces in 950. In 965, King Jaya Indravarman I installed a replacement stone statue standing 2.6 meters tall upon a lotus pedestal, and art historians identify the dark stone image seated in the main tower today as that 10th-century sculpture. Its original head was lost during the French colonial period in the early 20th century, and the present head is a cement restoration painted in the style of Vietnamese Mother Goddess statues.
The third layer of names arrived much later. When Vietnamese settlers moved into this region, they did not build a separate temple to replace the Cham sanctuary, but came to pray at the existing tower, receiving the mother goddess of the land into Mother Goddess worship (Đạo Mẫu) under a Vietnamese title. Her Vietnamese hagiography was committed to writing in 1856, when the mandarin Phan Thanh Giản passed through Khánh Hòa, gathered accounts from local elders, and composed the Record of the Celestial Lady Thiên Y (Thiên Y tiên nữ truyện ký), engraved on a Chinese-character stone stele behind the main tower. Today four steles stand in a north-south row behind the main sanctuary, two in classical Chinese and two in Romanized Vietnamese script, with Phan Thanh Giản's stele occupying the northernmost position.
The 1856 narrative recounts a celestial maiden who descended to earth at Mount Đại An and was adopted by an elderly melon-growing couple. During a flood, she entered a log of precious kỳ nam agarwood and drifted north across the sea, where she married a northern crown prince and bore two children. Longing for her native land, she hid inside the agarwood log once more to drift back to Kauthara, where she taught the inhabitants agriculture, weaving, and ritual propriety before ascending to heaven on a crane. Notably, Phan Thanh Giản himself, a strictly orthodox Confucian scholar, appended a commentary at the end of the stele questioning how her unannounced departure from her husband in the north could be reconciled with the Confucian rule of the Three Obediences (tam tòng), before concluding that the comings and goings of divine beings lie beyond ordinary human conventions.
Two common misunderstandings about the site deserve historical clarification, without any criticism of devotees.
First, this complex was not built as a temple of the Kinh majority. Every brick structure on the hill belongs to a Cham Hindu temple complex erected by the monarchs of Champa according to Indian sacred architectural principles, with sanctuaries facing east and sacred emblems housed inside dark inner chambers. The incense altars, ceremonial robes, and Mother Goddess rites familiar to Vietnamese visitors represent a devotional layer added many centuries later atop monuments of another religion and people.
Second, the stories of Po Nagar and Thiên Y A Na are not a single narrative. Here one deity is remembered through two distinct narrative traditions, the Cham account of a primordial mother who created the land and taught livelihoods, and the 1856 Vietnamese account of a celestial maiden who descended to earth, drifted north, and returned home. The two accounts overlap without erasing each other, and both communities continue to bow before the same stone image.
IIFive centuries of construction and later reception
The official heritage dossier dates the construction of the complex roughly from the 8th to the 13th century, representing five hundred years of building and rebuilding rather than a single foundation. Successive rulers added new towers or reconstructed earlier ones, leaving several architectural phases side by side on the same hill.
- 774 and 784Destruction of the wooden shrine and rebuilding in brickSteles of King Satyavarman record that the early wooden sanctuary was burned by seaborne raiders from Java in 774. In 784 the king rebuilt the sanctuary in brick and stone on Cù Lao hill.
- 813 to 817Construction of the Northeast and Northwest towersThe high minister Senapati Par under King Harivarman I erects the Northeast Tower (the main sanctuary) and the Northwest Tower during this period. The Northwest Tower is dated by inscription to 817 and undergoes repairs through the 13th century.
- 918, 950, and 965The golden statue and its stone replacementIn 918 King Indravarman III installs a golden statue of the goddess, which is looted by Khmer forces in 950. In 965 King Jaya Indravarman I commissions the stone statue that still sits inside the main tower today.
- 11th to 13th centuriesRebuilding of the main tower, Mandapa, and auxiliary towersThe Northeast Tower is reconstructed in the mid-11th century, and the Mandapa colonnade also dates to the 11th century. The Southeast Tower (7.1 meters) dates to the 11th to 12th centuries, and the South Tower (18 meters) to the 13th century, after which new construction ceases.
- From the 17th centuryVietnamese settlers join in worshipAs Vietnamese communities settle in the region, they come to pray at the existing Cham sanctuary and revere the presiding goddess as Holy Mother Thiên Y A Na.
- 1856Erection of the Thiên Y celestial lady stelePhan Thanh Giản composes the literary biography of Thiên Y A Na from local oral accounts and has it engraved on a Chinese-character stele behind the main tower.
- 1979 and 2012National heritage and intangible cultural heritageRanked a national architectural and artistic heritage site in 1979. On December 27, 2012, the Tháp Bà Ponagar Festival is inscribed on the National List of Intangible Cultural Heritage under Decision 5079/QĐ-BVHTTDL.
- 2025Special national heritage siteUpgraded to a special national heritage site (17th batch) under Decision 152/QĐ-TTg signed on January 17, 2025, with the official certificate ceremony held in July 2025.
Sources state the number of surviving structures in two ways, and the reason is straightforward. The dossier of the heritage management board records five main surviving architectural structures across two levels within the 57,000-square-meter site, counting the Mandapa hall on the middle terrace together with the four brick towers on the upper terrace. Many news reports instead write that four towers survive out of six that once stood on the upper terrace, because two additional towers formerly stood in the rear row beside the Northwest Tower and now survive only as foundation traces. The two counts do not conflict, differing only in whether the Mandapa forecourt is counted alongside the sanctuary towers. The library records both figures so readers can cross-reference either source.
IIIThree terraces and four brick towers
The complex rises across three terraced levels ascending Cù Lao hill (about 10 to 12 meters above sea level), following the canonical layout of Hindu temple architecture in which physical ascent forms part of the ritual approach. The lowest level at the foot of the hill held the gateway tower (gopura), of which only foundation traces and stone steps remain. The middle level holds the Mandapa assembly hall, where offerings were prepared. The uppermost terrace supports the sanctuary towers.
Occupying the middle terrace and measuring roughly 20 by 15 meters, this roofless hall consists of four rows of octagonal fired-brick columns totaling 22 pillars, with 10 large inner columns (over 3 meters tall and 1 meter thick, pierced with mortise holes) and 12 smaller outer columns. Pilgrims rested and prepared offerings here before ascending to the sanctums.
The main sanctuary, standing about 23 meters tall with a four-tiered superstructure, dedicated to the goddess Po Nagar and housing the 965 stone statue. Above its eastern entrance sits an 11th-century sandstone tympanum relief depicting four-armed Shiva dancing between two musicians.
Standing 18 meters tall, the second-largest tower in the complex, dated to the 13th century and dedicated to Shiva in the form of a linga. In Vietnamese folk tradition it is called Dinh Ông (Palace of the Lord), honoring the husband of Holy Mother Thiên Y A Na.
A compact tower standing 7.1 meters tall, dated to the 11th to 12th centuries and dedicated to Skandha, son of Shiva and god of warfare. Vietnamese folk tradition calls it Dinh Cố, honoring the elderly woodcutter couple who adopted the Lady.
Standing in the second row at the rear, 9 meters tall, first built in 817 and restored through the 13th century, preserving intact brickwork and a distinctive saddle-shaped roof. Dedicated to Ganesha, deity of wisdom and good fortune, it is known in Vietnamese tradition as Dinh Cô Cậu, honoring the Lady's two children.
Around twenty-eight Sanskrit and Old Cham inscriptions carved on freestanding stone steles and doorjambs across the complex, together with four steles behind the main tower recording the 1856 narrative.
Cham brick construction
The tower walls are built of fired brick laid so tightly that mortar joints are virtually invisible to the naked eye, with decorative reliefs carved directly across the assembled wall face. Conservation specialists still debate the binding technique, proposing that bricks were ground flat and joined with a thin film of Dipterocarpus (dầu rái) tree resin, laid while partially fired and then refired as a whole, or bonded with a slurry of pulverized brick dust.
Each kalan tower is divided vertically into base, body, and multi-tiered roof, with a hollow interior shaft rising toward the apex. In Hindu architectural doctrine, this form replicates Mount Meru, the cosmic mountain at the center of the universe, making the temple a microcosm of the world rather than a congregational hall. Consequently, the inner chamber is narrow and dark, scaled only for the sacred image and the officiating priest.
IVThe lie of the land and orientation
A direct clarification is needed before proceeding. Hinduism does not teach East Asian geomancy. Geomancy (phong thủy) is an East Asian divinatory system, and the Cham did not use it when erecting their temples. The rule that all towers here open their main doorways to the east follows Hindu sacred architecture, facing the rising sun so morning light can enter the doorway and touch the sacred image. The observations below are a comparative reading offered by the library for readers familiar with traditional Vietnamese siting, not a Cham concept or a doctrine recorded in the steles.
Read through traditional Vietnamese landform principles, the first feature is the site's position. The complex crowns Cù Lao knoll on the northern bank of the Cái River estuary, right where the river empties eastward into Nha Trang Bay. In traditional Vietnamese siting, this is a raised mound at a water confluence, where higher ground provides a point of concentration while the meeting of river water and sea water directly in front forms a vast bright hall (minh đường). Classical geomantic texts regard the meeting point of river and sea as a place of vigorous, fast-moving qi, suited to major temples and shrines rather than ordinary dwellings.
The second feature is east orientation. In traditional Vietnamese geomancy, the east belongs to the Wood phase and corresponds to the rising vitality of morning, so temples facing east are read as receiving ascending qi. Hindu temple architecture selects the east for a completely different reason, namely that the first light of dawn rising over the sea must pass through the doorway to illuminate the image inside the sanctum. The two traditions arrive at the same compass direction through entirely different lines of reasoning, and the value of comparing them lies in seeing that difference.
The third feature is the three ascending terraces. Whereas traditional Vietnamese siting reads a plot primarily across a horizontal axis from forecourt to main hall, the architecture here is organized vertically, requiring pilgrims to climb steep steps through the Mandapa before reaching the upper court where the deities reside. A traditional Vietnamese observer may compare this to the tiered ascent of a mountain pagoda, yet the underlying theology differs, as one represents stages of spiritual cultivation while the other embodies the cosmic mountain Meru. The library notes these parallels strictly as a comparative reading and stops there.
VThe Tháp Bà Festival in the third lunar month
What sets Po Nagar Cham Towers apart is its vibrant annual festival, which draws tens of thousands of pilgrims each spring. The main festival takes place from the 20th to the 23rd day of the 3rd lunar month, bringing together Vietnamese devotees from Khánh Hòa and the Central Highlands alongside Cham delegations from the former provinces of Ninh Thuận and Bình Thuận. In addition to the main festival, the ritual of changing the goddess's robes is performed three times a year at noon (the Ngọ hour, 12:00 PM) on the 20th day of the 3rd lunar month, the 12th day of the 7th lunar month, and the 20th day of the 12th lunar month, supplemented by monthly worship days on the 8th, 18th, and 28th of each lunar month.
| Lunar date | Rite | Description |
|---|---|---|
| 20th day of the 3rd lunar month | Rite of Changing the Robes (Lễ thay y / Mộc dục) | The opening ceremony held at noon (12:00 PM). Officiants offer agarwood, incense, flowers, and fruit, bathe the stone statue inside the main tower with fragrant herbal water, and dress the image in new robes and crown. |
| 20th day of the 3rd lunar month | Floating lanterns on the river (Lễ thả hoa đăng) | In the evening, a procession descends from the temple hill to the Cái River to release thousands of lit flower lanterns onto the water in prayer for peace, reflecting the sanctuary's position right at the estuary. |
| 21st day of the 3rd lunar month | Prayers for national peace and almsgiving rite | Chanting of scriptures praying for favorable weather and public peace, followed by the thí thực offering for wandering souls according to temple custom. |
| 22nd day of the 3rd lunar month | Procession of offerings to the Mother (Lễ dâng Mẫu) | Pilgrim delegations from across the region take turns presenting offerings and performing the flower-offering dance (múa dâng Bông) before the Holy Mother. |
| 23rd day of the 3rd lunar month | Traditional sacrificial rite, Khai Diên, and Tôn Vương | Classical sacrificial liturgy performed by village elders, followed by the two opening rites that inaugurate the sacred performances. |
| 23rd day of the 3rd lunar month | Bóng dance and chầu văn singing | Múa Bóng is a devotional dance performed while balancing offering trays or flower towers on the head, accompanied by hát văn narrative singing recounting the life of Holy Mother Thiên Y A Na. |
One important distinction regarding the table above should be noted. Most of the listed rites, including the elders' sacrificial liturgy, chầu văn singing, and the thí thực offering, belong to the Vietnamese devotional layer shaped by Mother Goddess worship and folk Buddhism, whereas visiting Cham delegations perform their own traditional Cham prayers and dances. The Rite of Changing the Robes is where the two traditions converge most closely, since bathing a sacred image with fragrant herbal water and dressing it in royal vestments is rooted in ancient Cham Hindu temple liturgy while corresponding directly to the Vietnamese mộc dục (ritual bathing) of a Holy Mother statue.
VILocation And How To Get There
- Address
- Đồi Cù Lao bên cửa sông Cái, phường Bắc Nha Trang (phường Vĩnh Phước, thành phố Nha Trang cũ), tỉnh Khánh Hòa
- Getting there
- The temple complex stands on Cù Lao hill on the northern bank of the Cái River estuary, along 2 Tháng 4 Street, Bắc Nha Trang ward (formerly Vĩnh Phước ward, Nha Trang city before July 2025), Khánh Hòa province, about 2 km north of central Nha Trang just across Xóm Bóng Bridge.
- Coordinates
- 12.2653, 109.1953
Because this site is both a special national heritage monument and an active place of worship, two sets of rules apply simultaneously. Respect for the sanctuary requires modest attire (the management board provides free robes at the entrance for visitors wearing shorts or short skirts), removing hats and footwear before stepping inside the main tower, and not blocking the doorway while devotees are praying. Monument conservation requires not touching or leaning against carved brick surfaces, not placing offerings on ancient stone steles or Mandapa column bases, and not climbing on ruined foundations. During the third lunar month festival, pilgrim delegations enter in turns, so visitors are expected to yield the path to officiating groups.
Nearby places in the library
VIIContribute To This Page
Contribute photos, information or video for Po Nagar Cham Towers
Góp ảnh, thông tin hoặc video cho Tháp Bà PonagarEveryone is welcome to enrich this page: a photo you took, a detail the page misses, a short video. Every contribution is read and answered.
Thầy Ưng Khiêm mời cộng đồng cùng làm giàu trang này. Ảnh chụp tận nơi, một chi tiết lịch sử chưa được nhắc, một đoạn video ngắn: mọi đóng góp đều được đọc và trả lời.
No community contribution yet. You could be the first. Chưa có đóng góp nào từ cộng đồng. Bạn có thể là người đầu tiên.
?Quick Questions
Who is worshiped at Po Nagar Cham Towers
The sanctuary is dedicated to the Cham goddess Po Nagar, known in Cham as Yang Po Inư Nagar (Mother Goddess of the Realm) and in Sanskrit inscriptions as Bhagavati. Vietnamese devotees revere her within Mother Goddess worship as Holy Mother Thiên Y A Na. The three other surviving towers honor Shiva (Dinh Ông), Skandha (Dinh Cố), and Ganesha (Dinh Cô Cậu).
Is Tháp Bà Ponagar a Buddhist pagoda or a Hindu temple
It is not a Buddhist pagoda. The complex was built by Champa monarchs between the 8th and 13th centuries as a Cham Hindu (Balamon) sanctuary dedicated to the goddess Po Nagar and Hindu deities. Vietnamese Mother Goddess worship at the site is a later devotional layer practiced within the ancient Cham towers.
Are Po Nagar and Thiên Y A Na the same deity
They are the same presiding deity remembered through two cultural narratives. The Cham tradition recounts that she was born from clouds and sea foam, created the land, and taught rice farming and weaving. The Vietnamese tradition, recorded by Phan Thanh Giản in his 1856 stele inscription, recounts a celestial maiden who descended at Mount Đại An, drifted north in an agarwood log to marry a prince, and returned home to teach the people livelihoods. Both communities worship before the same statue.
How many towers survive at Po Nagar and how tall are they
The heritage dossier lists five main surviving structures across two terraces, comprising the pillared Mandapa forecourt (22 octagonal brick columns) on the middle level and four brick towers on the upper terrace. The Northeast Tower (main sanctuary) stands about 23 meters tall, the South Tower 18 meters, the Northwest Tower 9 meters, and the Southeast Tower 7.1 meters. Two additional towers once stood in the rear row on the upper terrace, leaving only foundation traces.
When does the Tháp Bà Ponagar Festival take place
The main annual festival runs from the 20th to the 23rd day of the 3rd lunar month, opening with the noon Rite of Changing the Robes and evening river lantern release on the 20th, prayers for national peace on the 21st, offerings to the Mother on the 22nd, and traditional sacrificial rites, Bóng dance, and chầu văn singing on the 23rd. The Rite of Changing the Robes is also held on the 12th day of the 7th lunar month and the 20th day of the 12th lunar month.