File:04052023 Ponagar Hindu temples complex, Nha Trang Vietnam - 274.jpg

English: The above photo shows the mandapa pillars, the steps leading to the Uma temple, and the Cham-style Hindu temple tower. The mandapa pillars are massive, it was once covered with a roof, but only the pillars survive. The steps are steep, and now closed for visitor safety. Above this main temple entrance is Durga Mahisasuramardini. The tower has four Tala (most Cham temples in Vietnam have three Tala). The structure has a symmetric repetition of mini temples. Inside is an statue of Uma carved from stone. In front, is a modern era replica of Po Nagar goddess who is dressed and to whom offerings are made daily.

Overview:

The Po Nagar site is a complex of historic brick temples located atop Mount Cù Lao in the city of Nha Trang, Viet Nam.

The complex is ancient and had many Cham Hindu temples. Of these four temples survive. The largest and main temple is the classic Cham tower dedicated to Ponagar – the local name for Uma (Parvati). Next to her temple is the South tower – a temple for Shiva, also called Thap Nam. To further left is the Thap Dong Nam or Southeast tower – a temple for Kartikeya. To the west of the main tower Uma temple is the so-called northwest tower – a temple for Ganesha, or Thap Tay Bac.

These temples are active, and the Cham people – a Hindu minority – continue to visit and pray, with some pilgrims arriving here from towns 100s of kilometers away. Every year, from the 21st to the 23rd days of the Third Lunar Month, the Cham people congregate to bathe and clothe the Goddess' statue. This occasion is marked by traditional dances that are festive and holy.