Artwork analysis: My son sanctuary

The art piece I chose to write about this week is the alter-pedestal of the Mỹ Sơn sanctuary.  The alter-pedestal and the sanctuary that hold the pedestal was a temple that was made to praise Hindu gods.  From the 4th to the 13th centuries this was a sacred sight that had more than seventy Hindu temples.  This temple was built for the God Siva which was built by the people of Champa.  Many of the temples made have survived since the 7th century.  Inside the temples there is a rectangular room dedicated to an alter-pedestal at the center called a garba-griha, or sanctum. 

The pedestal was symbolized to be a seat for the Hindu god Siva, and it was designed to resemble Meru, or, “the center of the universe,” where the gods live.  At the base of the steps to the alter there are three engraved shapes of men to symbolize that they are embracing the spiritual world above them. Above the first set of figures lays 3 more male figures that is holding from what it looks like a ritual cloth.  The two facing the one in the middle holding the cloth are holding up bowls.  There are no female figures present on the pedestal.  Along the pedestal the figures can be made out to be priests, scholars, and teachers.  Two carvings are made out as brahmins and makara.  There is a lot of symbolism and intricate attention to detail in the making of this pedestal as with every other pedestal in this location.  There is a pedestal in a temple near this alter that has scholars, “suggests that existing alter-pedestals in Champa once supported other deities such as Laksmi, the goddess of fertility and wealth.”  It is clear to see that the significance of the Mỹ Sơn temple complex is in Vietnam.  With attempts of restoration in the 1940’s then later the in the 1960’s they halted restorations.   During the Vietnam war there were many temples that were looted, demolished or damaged by the U.S military.  This is a very significant piece of history and art that expresses just how the Chams culture was. 

 

Dr. Mya Chau, "Mỹ Sơn Hindu temple complex," in Smarthistory, October 1, 2020, accessed October 6, 2020, https://smarthistory.org/my-son-hindu-temple-complex/.

Comments

  1. Jake, of "Jake Writes a Blog"October 7, 2020 at 3:22 PM

    I learned a lot about Hindu culture while reading this blogpost. I found it very interesting to read and I thought it was so fascinating that it was designed to resemble what the center of the universe is supposed to look like. One thing I can maybe say to tweak a bit, on the structure, is the sizing and spacing is a little bit odd and almost displeasing to my eyes.

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  2. Trevor thompson blogOctober 12, 2020 at 12:36 PM

    I thought it was really interesting how that one site held over 70 different temples. It seems so crazy that these early civilizations were able to create these elaborate temples and alters without modern technology and how smart and sophisticated they were.

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  3. Jeremy VelascoOctober 25, 2020 at 12:15 PM

    I always think its interesting to see the architecture that different cultures and religions used to honor their gods. Hindu uses altars, pedistals and statues in a similar way that Christianity uses a cross. The most interesting thing to me is the "center of the universe" portion. The seat made for the Hindu goddess "Shiva" was placed right in the center of the universe I believe to symbolize her importance.

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