Indian President Ram Nath Kovind and his spouse at the Da Nang Museum of Cham Sculpture (Photo: VNA) Hanoi (VNA) – Indian President Ram Nath Kovind and his spouse toured the Da Nang Museum of Cham Sculpture in the central city on November 19, as part of his ongoing state visit to Vietnam at the invitation of General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam Central Committee and President Nguyen Phu Trong.
The Da Nang museum has signed a memorandum of understanding on India’s National Museum Institute of History of Art, Conservation, and Museology on the compilation and publication of the catalogue “Cham Sculptures of Vietnam and their Relationship with Indian Art”, which studies 50 sculptures in the collection of the Da Nang museum.
The museum is collaborating with the National Museum of India in studying and compiling the book, which will introduce the relationship between Cham sculptures and Indian artworks. The catalogue will be printed in India at the end of 2018.
On the same day, the Indian President visited My Son Sanctuary, a world cultural heritage site in the neighbouring province of Quang Nam.
Once the religious and political capital of the Champa Kingdom, My Son Sanctuary is located on a hilly landscape in Duy Phu commune of Duy Xuyen district, about 70km southwest of central Da Nang city and 40km from Hoi An city. It is comprised of eight groups of 71 monuments, built throughout the seventh to 13th centuries.
Currently, Towers K, H, and A in the complex are being restored, made possible via funding worth 60 billion VND (2.59 million USD) from the Indian Government. Beginning in 2017, the restoration project will last for five years.
Welcoming the Indian leader, Secretary of the provincial Party Committee Nguyen Ngoc Quang thanked the former for their sponsorship and expressed his hope that more assistance would come regarding the conservation of the historical site.
President Ram Nath Kovind praised local works in protecting My Son Sanctuary, saying he believes joint efforts among the two governments, Indian experts, and Quang Nam authorities will contribute significantly to reserving and promoting the values of the world cultural heritage.
After touring the site, the President planted a bodhi tree, brought from India, near the entrance of the sanctuary. –VNA
VNA
