Quang Nam (VNA) – The Sanskrit inscriptionson steles at the UNESCO world heritage My Son Sanctuary in central Quang Namprovince will be translated into Vietnamese and English as part of a jointproject between Vietnam and India.

Under the project, which started on April 3,specialists from India will study the steles and help Vietnam translate theepitaphs from Sanskrit, the ancient liturgical language of Hinduism, to Vietnameseand English.

The move aims to aid the preservation of the sanctuaryand shed light on its cultural, historical, religious and architectural valueshidden in the towers there for thousands years.

The complex has Sanskrit epitaphs engraved on 31steles made of brick and stone, the main materials used in building My SonSanctuary, said Nguyen Cong Khiet, deputy head of the sanctuary’s managementcommittee.

The biggest challenge the translators face is that many of the steles werebroken into pieces while some of these pieces have been lost, therefore ​it will take a lot of time and effort, Khiet noted.

In addition to thisproject, the Government of India has provided about 2.2 million USD infinancial support to Quang Nam to help the province restore and preserve theUNESCO World Heritage Site between 2016 and 2021.

During the excavation atthe site in 2017, Vietnamese and Indian experts found a number of ancientobjects buried underground, including tops of towers with sophisticateddecoration, different types of building materials and lion-headed figurines. Theyalso discovered traces of a pathway leading to the heart of the complex which was presumably reserved for members of royal families and religious dignitariesduring holy rituals.

Once the religious and political capital of the Champa Kingdom, My SonSanctuary is located in a hilly landscape in Duy Phu commune, Duy Xuyendistrict, about 70 km southwest of central Da Nang city and 40 km from Hoi Ancity.

It comprises eight groups of 71 monuments builtthroughout the 7th to 13th centuries. 

The first construction of My Son dated back tothe 4th century under the reign of Bhadravarman for the worship of GodShiva-Bhadresvara. But later on, the temple was destroyed. 

At the beginning of the 7th century, KingSambhuvarman had it rebuilt and rebaptised Sambhu-Bhadresvara.

Each new monarchcame to My Son after his accession to the throne for the ceremony ofpurification and to present offerings and erect new monuments, which explainswhy My Son is the only place where Cham art flourished without interruptionfrom the 7th to 13th century.-VNA