1. THE PEDESTALS OF CHAMPA.
- Author
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TINGLEY, NANCY
- Abstract
The article discusses the ancient civilization of the people of Champa, a coastal area of southern Vietnam. From the 5th to the early 19th centuries they were concentrated in river basins reaching inland to the mountains. Stone temples dating variously from the 1st to the 5th century are found in the region and contain Sanskrit inscriptions in Indian script. The temples are identified as Hindu. It notes that Hindu worship is individual rather than congregational, thus the interior of a Hindu temple is small and is referred to as a womb chamber, which is found in the Champa sites. The Champa temples contain elaborately carved pedestals upon which rest an image. The combination, it notes, is unlike anything found in temples in India. It speculates on the possible meaning of this.
- Published
- 2009