JavaScript is off. Please enable to view full site.

More research done on Cat Tien relic to increase tourism

More research done on Cat Tien relic to increase tourism

Monday, February 24, 2014, 14:32 GMT+7

The Lam Dong province’s Department of Culture, Sports, and Tourism announced late last week that it is working with local institutes to further research Cat Tien Holy land, part of the Cat Tien archeological site.

The authorities are also coordinating with historians from the Ho Chi Minh City National University and the Vietnam Science Academy to prepare for the restoration of several items in the relic for further historical research and tourism projects.

The research will also shed light on several controversial issues including the relic’s age and value, and decode a number of historical and cultural mysteries.

Located in Cat Tien district, the Cat Tien relic was excavated in 1991 and recognized as a National Relic in 1998. Local authorities have since applied for the title of Special National Relic. 

The excavated area accounts for some 10 hectares, while the unexcavated section, which is part of locals’ property, takes up roughly 70ha.

Unfortunately, antique hunters and gold miners ravaged the surface of the relic prior to the excavation.

According to Luong Nguyen Minh, head of the relic management, Cat Tien is a tower complex that dates back to the 7th or 8th century.

With its surface architecture ruined, only walls remain, which stand some 3m high and are made from specially-shaped bricks. Its submerged structure, which measures some 1.5m deep, is also built from bricks.

Excavations have unearthed a number of gold, silver, quartz, and bronze items at the site. Experts say that such findings are only a small portion of what lies beneath the surface.

Local archeologists have also found a complex of temples, tombs, and around 1,140 artifacts belonging to the Brahmanism religion, including the biggest pair of Lingam-Yoni objects of worship in Southeast Asia.

These artifacts have proved that the site was a forbidden area for religious sacrifice. The site is also believed to be strongly influenced by the Indian civilization and have close connections with the Oc Eo and Champa cultures.

The relic is ideal for exploration and pilgrimage tours paired with eco-tours of Cat Tien National Park, which lies on the right side of the Dong Nai River.

The province has invested some VND38 billion (US$1.8 million) from now to 2020 to build protective structures for the unearthed artifacts and a museum to properly display them.

The relic has drawn thousands of tourists a year.  

Tuoitrenews

More

Read more

;

Photos

VIDEOS

‘Taste of Australia’ gala dinner held in Ho Chi Minh City after 2-year hiatus

Taste of Australia Gala Reception has returned to the Park Hyatt Hotel in Ho Chi Minh City's District 1 after a two-year hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic

Vietnamese woman gives unconditional love to hundreds of adopted children

Despite her own immense hardship, she has taken in and cared for hundreds of orphans over the past three decades.

Vietnam’s Mekong Delta celebrates spring with ‘hat boi’ performances

The art form is so popular that it attracts people from all ages in the Mekong Delta

Latest news