Ancient mindset of the people of the Southern Central Highlands

Part III: THE ANCIENT MINDSET OF THE SOUTHERN CENTRAL HIGHLANDS

From the very beginning of excavations at the Cat Tien archaeological site (located in Cat Tien district, Lam Dong province), scientists discovered linga-yoni idols and statues of the god Shiva, along with temple architecture carrying significant religious meaning. However, to this day, the true owners of this ancient land remain a subject of debate. Most recently, a particularly significant discovery, serving as new evidence, may end this decades-long debate: the "mukha linga phenomenon."

The god Shiva, a symbol of peace and prosperity.

Journalist and archaeologist Dinh Thi Nga, who was instrumental in discovering the Cat Tien archaeological site.

Statue of the god Shiva

She stated: “The entire architecture of the temples at Cat Tien is built according to Brahmanical standards: square-shaped platforms, stepped levels, along with tower gates, stone cladding, pillars, door frames, linga and yoni idols, Ganesha statues…”. She further commented: “That standard was implemented by the talented hands and minds of religious architects over many generations. The 20 temples and tombs are completely different in detail but blend together in style, reaching into a mysterious and magnificent spiritual world…”.

At many archaeological sites around the world, the most common depiction of Shiva is that of a multi-armed maiden in a dancing pose, most commonly eight-armed and six-armed statues. However, at the Cat Tien archaeological site, during the most recent excavation, archaeologists discovered a bas-relief depicting Shiva as a bare-breasted woman holding a lotus leaf and a lotus flower in her hands. “The image of Shiva, on his journey from the East Sea to Vietnam and up to the Southern Central Highlands, was simplified and took on a more ‘peaceful’ meaning!” – commented a reputable scientist. Accordingly, instead of having eight or six arms, holding objects like a trident, dagger, or oil cup, Shiva, upon arriving at the Cat Tien sanctuary, only had two arms holding a lotus leaf and a lotus flower – symbols of peace and prosperity.

MENU - THE SACRED MOUNTAIN OF THE GODS

Still influenced by Hinduism, temple architecture is the dominant feature at the Cat Tien archaeological site. However, the concept of "tower" and "temple" among the indigenous people of the Southern Central Highlands has changed and is not entirely the same as the original "tower" and "temple" architecture according to Hinduism. The typical architectural form according to Brahmanical culture is the Sikhara, also known as a "tower." "Sikhara" means "pointed peak" or "pointed mountain peak" - representing Mount Menu. In Brahmanism, Menu is the mountain range of the gods, in which the supreme deity resides at the highest peak. Mount Menu is embodied in Sikhara architecture called "kalan," meaning "temple"; later, "kalan" became synonymous with "tower."

Images of the Cat Tien archaeological site

Scientists believe that the architecture of the Cat Tien site still belongs to the category of ancient religious architecture, but has its own unique characteristics compared to the religious architecture of many sites bearing the imprint of Hindu culture. Through excavations at the Cat Tien archaeological site, scientists have found a fairly complete temple at mound 6A, with distinctive features expressed in the form of a square tower with several angled corners on the eastern facade. Based on the current state of the site, it can be observed that the concept of "tower" and "temple tower," along with the "sacred mountain peak" of the Menu deities, among the ancient inhabitants along the Dong Nai River, has undergone certain changes.

SHIVA MUKHA - REVEALING THE MASTER OF THE CAT TIEN SANCTUARY

Mr. Luong Nguyen Minh, Head of the Cat Tien Relic Management Board, revealed: "For a long time, scientists have debated extensively about the identity of the owners of the Cat Tien sacred site, but a conclusion has yet to be reached. Therefore, the recent discovery of a unique mukha image on a linga within a 'Shiva culture' setting may reveal many issues for researchers to consider and… continue the debate about the ancient owners of this land."

In Indian culture, and more closely in Cham culture, Shiva is a Brahmanical deity considered the "trinity" and is revered as the supreme god. The term "trinity" is used because, according to Cham beliefs, Shiva alone embodies three other deities (represented by three meanings): the god of creation, the god of destruction, and the god of protection. In ancient Cham communities, Hinduism belonging to the Shiva sect was often represented in the form of a linga (male genitalia) for worship. Mukha lingas – images of Shiva in human form or human figures carved on lingas – are rarely found in archaeological sites.

This shows that the linga and yoni, within the idolatrous whole of "linga-yoni"—symbols of creation (Brahma), destruction (Shiva), and preservation (Vinus) in Cham culture when it adopted Hinduism—had a creative element: the "personification" of a certain king or a "living saint" who actually existed in life and was associated with the "linga-yoni" symbol for worship. A linga-yoni set in Cat Tien also includes such a mukha, a rare phenomenon alongside the mukha linga inside the Po Klong Garai tower (Ninh Thuan) dedicated to King Po Klong Garai.

According to Mr. Luong Nguyen Minh's assessment, the carvings on the linga at Cat Tien are some kind of mukha of the ancient people of the Southern Central Highlands. Based on our observations, it is an image...

A human face, 5cm wide and 7cm long. The face is greatly faded, but the two ears are still quite clear, measuring about 4cm in length. Observing the top of the linga, we also noticed a dark color that is quite distinct from the color of the entire stone block. This suggests that this linga-yoni set was frequently used in rituals by the ancient inhabitants (by touching the head of the linga and pouring "sacred water" on it so that the sacred water would flow into a sacred water trough).

“This is the only linga found at the Cat Tien archaeological site that has a human face carved on it. However, at Cat Tien, so far, no ancient texts related to the owner of the sacred site have been found. Therefore, it is extremely difficult to determine who the sole mukha here was, whether it was a ‘king’ or a ‘living saint’!” - Mr. Minh said.

And so, although the "human face" on the linga representing Shiva here has revealed more of the secrets of the Cat Tien sacred site, which had been buried deep underground for many years, the "secret" about a certain mukha of Cat Tien remains... a secret.

Additional information:

The Cat Tien archaeological site is located along the Dong Nai River in Cat Tien District, Lam Dong Province, stretching approximately 15km through Duc Pho and Phu My communes of Cat Tien District. Many scientists believe the site may extend across the Dong Nai River to Dong Nai Province and into Binh Phuoc Province, bordering Lam Dong Province. Recently, in Binh Phuoc, scientists unearthed several archaeological artifacts believed to be from the "Cat Tien culture".

One of the first two people to discover the Cat Tien archaeological site in 1986 was Ms. Dinh Thi Nga, a retired journalist and archaeologist. During a work trip, Ms. Nga and another colleague accidentally unearthed several "ancient" artifacts in the Cat Tien area. From these artifacts, the Cat Tien archaeological site gradually came to light and attracted the attention of many scientists both domestically and internationally.

There are currently two schools of thought regarding the true owners of the ancient Cat Tien land: The first is that the original owners were the Ma people, who once formed the "Ma kingdom" in history; however, this kingdom later declined. The second theory is that this was a sacred site for an ethnic group who migrated from outside.

Due to war and the resulting "integration" with several indigenous tribes, they established a "kingdom" with a flourishing religious and cultural system, which later declined.

Text and photos:Khac Dung

The Thanh