Vietnam: A sandstone Cham interpretation of Dvarapala, a door or gate guardian, 9th - 10th century, Cham Museum, Danang

Dvarapala (Sanskrit) is a door or gate guardian often portrayed as warrior or fearsome asura giant, usually armed with a weapon. The statue of dvarapala is a widespread architectural element throughout Hindu and Buddhist cultures, as well as in areas influenced by them like Java.

The kingdom of Champa (Campadesa or nagara Campa) Chăm Pa in Vietnamese, 占城 Chiêm Thành in Hán Việt and Zhàn chéng in Chinese records) was an Indianized kingdom that controlled much of southern and central Vietnam from approximately the 7th century through to 1832.

Champa reached its apogee in the 9th and 10th centuries. Then began a gradual decline under pressure from Đại Việt, the Vietnamese polity centered in the region of modern Hanoi. In 1471, Viet troops sacked the northern Cham capital of Vijaya, and in 1697 the southern principality of Panduranga became a vassal of the Vietnamese emperor.

In 1832, the Vietnamese emperor Minh Mạng annexed the remaining Cham territories. Mỹ Sơn, a former religious center, and Hội An, one of Champa's main port cities, are now UNESCO World Heritage sites.

Copyright:

CPA Media Co. Ltd.

Photographer:

David Henley

Credit:

Pictures From Asia