The Hindu : New Delhi News : Vietnam seeks ASI help to preserve common link

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Friday, May 06, 2005

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New Delhi

Vietnam seeks ASI help to preserve common link

Mandira Nayar

Indian influence on Cham culture

NEW DELHI: : This is a bit of tangible "desi" heritage in Vietnam. Temples with Sanskrit inscriptions, images of Shiva and Brahmins as priests, Cham culture that was unknown till the 19th Century had more than just a few stray Indian influences. And in an attempt to preserve this common link, the Vietnamese Government has approached the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) here for help

A testimony of better political relations through commercial ties that would warm the hearts of economists, the Cham culture was a result of increased relations with Indian traders. "An ASI team has conducted a preliminary survey of the area. But that was over two years ago. We are happy to help out in any way we can. This is not the first time that we have been offered to help an international project, we have also assisted the Cambodian Government in Angkor Vat,'' says the Director-General of the ASI, C. Babu Rajeev.

A link in the past that seems to have been forgotten along the way, experts believe that Cham culture played a very significant role in the "Indianised'' states in Vietnam. Deeply influenced by Indian culture, while a number of kingdoms that sprang up at that time adopted Hinduism and used Sanskrit, the rulers seem to have `adopted' the caste system as only Brahmins were allowed into the inner sanctum of the temples, according to report prepared by Patrizia Zolese, a UNESCO Consultant for Culture and Chief Technical Adviser on the My Son Project.

Major monuments

While nothing has been finalised as yet, the ASI has asked the Vietnamese officials to write to the Ministry of External Affairs for the required permissions. "We don't have any objections and would be very interested, but the Vietnamese Government needs to go through the proper channels. They would be writing to the Ministry of External Affairs so that we can proceed in the right direction,'' he adds.

The major monuments of the Cham culture had been hidden in the forests for years, till they were discovered by French soldiers surveying the My Son Area in 1885, according to Ms. Zolese's report. These monuments have been inscribed on the World Heritage List since 1999.

While the inscription on the list has increased the number of tourists to the site, the area has suffered substantial damage during the war in Vietnam. Bombed in 1969 by the United States, the "Holy Land'' of Cham culture will never be the same.

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