The Mỹ Sơn Sanctuary is located nearly 70 km west of Đà Nẵng City and now belongs to Thu Bồn Commune, Đà Nẵng City. Nearly 70 architectural structures of various forms were continuously built by the Cham people from the 4th to the 14th century. Over the course of these ten centuries, Mỹ Sơn’s temple architecture underwent major changes in materials, construction techniques, and decorative artistic styles. Some lightweight materials existed only in the early period, such as wood and thatch, while brick and stone consistently coexisted throughout different phases. At the same time, successive generations of talented Cham craftsmen accumulated, refined, and perfected their skills, creating increasingly larger, taller, and more durable structures that have survived to the present day.
Based on inscriptions recorded on steles dating to the 4th century and archaeological evidence from excavations, the earliest structures at Mỹ Sơn (4th–6th centuries) were made of wood and were later destroyed by fire. From the 7th to 8th centuries, the Cham people began combining brick and stone in temple construction. During this period, however, brick was limited to low walls; load-bearing columns were still made of wood placed on stone bases, with wooden roof frames covered by spear-shaped roof tiles (as seen in Tower E1). From the latter half of the 8th century onward, construction techniques advanced significantly: wood was no longer used in load-bearing structures, being replaced by stone or brick (except in large subsidiary structures such as the Mandapa also known as meditation halls which continued to use wooden roof frames for tile roofing, or wooden doors in the main temples).
Sources of Stone
The Mỹ Sơn valley itself does not contain the sandstone used in the monuments. Instead, the stone originated from surrounding areas such as the former Mỹ Sơn village (Duy Phú Commune) or the hilly regions of the former Duy Tân Commune, including sites known as Gò Đá, Hóc Đá, and Đá Núc, the places that still bear traces of Cham activity. Evidence of Cham stone quarrying shows notable differences from that of the Kinh people, including distinctive marks, letters, or symbols that remain visible. From these quarrying sites, the stone was transported more than 5 km northwest to Mỹ Sơn.
Stone Selection and Carving Techniques
In the early period, yellow sandstone was favored because it was easy to split and suitable for carving fine details. However, it had poor load-bearing capacity and was easily eroded by external factors. Due to limited experience at that time, stones with horizontal bedding planes were sometimes quarried and used; over time, these stones tended to delaminate in layers (as seen in door pillars of Tower F2, the tympanum of Kalan F1, and the sacred bull statue of E6).
In later periods, the Cham people likely developed the ability to distinguish stone properties based on color, form, exposed rounded stones, sedimentary characteristics, and grain structure. As stone-working skills became increasingly sophisticated, different types of sandstone were selected according to specific functional purposes. Structural components such as pillars, lintels, and door frames were always made of harder, uniformly colored stone with high load-bearing capacity. Decorative elements reliefs, statues, and ritual objects that were used fine-grained stone that was easier to carve.
By the 10th century, stone quarrying and carving techniques reached their peak and were extensively applied in temple construction. Mỹ Sơn Tower A1 stands as clear evidence of this mastery: despite its massive size, with individual stone components weighing two to three tons, the stone remains extremely durable, showing little erosion or biological growth such as moss and lichen.
Stone Materials in Architectural Components
Foundation: Cham tower foundations are generally wide rather than deep, with depth varying according to geological layers and the scale of each structure. The shallowest foundations are about 20–30 cm deep, while the deepest reach nearly 100 cm. Pebbles and sand were the basic materials compacted in the lowest layers (sandstone was not used in foundations). Above this was a compacted reddish-brown mixture, possibly shell lime, brick powder, and plant resin which created a level surface for constructing the upper brick layers of the foundation.
Tower Base: The tower base is a low but massive and thick architectural block that supports the entire weight of the tower above. In later structures such as Tower G1 (12th century), the top layer of the base was reinforced with laterite stone, while in Tower H1 (13th century), the top layer was reinforced with sandstone. In exceptional cases, such as Tower B1, the entire base was constructed of stone.
Tower Body: As the structure rises, it gradually tapers. Stone remains essential in the construction of vestibules and door frames. The entrance to a tower consists of a short vestibule with two stone frames; one inside and one outside (in rare cases, the outer frame was replaced by brick-built pillars). The stone frame was carefully engineered: the lower lintel block is always larger than the upper lintel; although the pillars appear square, their bases are always wider than their tops. The exterior surfaces of the pillars are smoothly finished, while the inner surfaces that contact the brick walls are left roughened or grooved to enhance adhesion with the brickwork.
Above the lintel, a triangular tympanum is often present, typically carved with images of deities. Beyond its symbolic and aesthetic role, also emphasizing the deity worshipped inside the temple; the tympanum also serves an important structural function by distributing the load of the upper structure evenly onto the two pillars, preventing excessive stress at the center of the lintel (Figure 1). The tower body also features numerous engaged pillars, main door arches, and false door arches with multiple corner moldings, serving both decorative purposes and structural reinforcement.
23 January,2026
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