Poklong Garai Cham Tower is a sacred temple of worship, is considered as a symbol and also the pride of the Cham community living in Ninh Thuan. The tower is located on Trau hill in Do Vinh ward, 9km west of Phan Rang city. The tower is considered as the pride and symbol of the Cham people in Ninh Thuan.
According to Mr. Su Van Tien, the narrator at Cham tower, this tower was built in the late 13th and early 14th century, built by King Che Man to worship King Po Klong Garai.
It can be said that the Cham tower is the most intact tower cluster to this day. Po Klong Garai Cham Tower consists of 3 towers, that is the main tower, the fire tower, and the gate tower built from dark red bricks. Of these three towers, the gate tower and the fire tower are not used for worship, only the main tower is the place to worship King Poklong Garai.
In front of the cluster of relics is the Gate Tower with a height of more than 5m and carved with meticulous patterns. This place was the entrance to ceremonies, offerings, and welcomed guests of the king in the past.
In the south is the Fire tower which has the typical architecture of the traditional houses of the Cham people. This tower was designed with two curved roofs in the shape of a boat - this is a unique cultural feature of the ancient Cham people. In ancient times, the Fire tower was a place for monks to worship and a place to keep dragon cells and requisites of Cham Pa King.
Going further is the Chinh Tower - the center of Po Klong Garai Cham Tower architecture. The main tower is more than 20 meters high, with a multi-storey design. Around the corners of the tower are attached stone statues and fire symbols.
This tower has a main door in the East, the upper is carved image of God Siva - who is sacred to the Cham people. Below are two stone pillars supporting the tower engraved with ancient Cham script. Deeper is a carved stone statue of a cow, which is believed to be the mount of God Siva. Inside, there is a place worshiping the king who has many great merits in the process of ruling the country with the symbol Mukha - Linga.
A tourist said: "It is special to come here because the road going up here is very beautiful due to the beauty of nature. The tower has been on top of a hill like this for a long time ago."
This place is not only architecturally significant but a very sacred place for the Cham community in Ninh Thuan in particular and the Cham people in the country in general.
Mr. Su Van Tien, the narrator, said: The Tower is a sacred place, and they consider this as a center of cultural beliefs, so nowadays the Cham community still worships according to the belief of the four festivals. The most typical here is the Kate festival, which is held on July 1 of Cham calendar, which is in September or October of the solar calendar. On this day, the Cham community holds the Kate festival in the tower.
Through historical events and the destruction of time, Poklong Garai tower still preserves intact artifacts and traditional values in Cham culture. In 1979 this architectural art relic was ranked as a national monument by the Ministry of Culture and today is classified as a special national monument./.
