Two Cham statues are on display at the Da Nang Museum of Cham Sculpture, and they have been among 24 additional Vietnamese artifacts to make it onto the list of national treasures in Viet Nam, following recent approval from Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc.

Indian President Ram Nath Kovind and his wife admiring the sandstone Ganesha statue at the Da Nang Museum of Cham Sculpture in November 2018

Of the two, one is the statute of Ganesha, an elephant-headed Hindu god, and the other is the sandstone sculpture of elephant-headed lion Gajasimha.

These are original artifacts showing off unique forms and special values which highlight the religious arts of Champa through historical periods.

Discovered in 1903 by the Ha Noi-based L’École Française d’Extrême-Orient (EFEO), and kept at the Da Nang Museum of Cham Sculpture since 1918, the sandstone Ganesha statue, dating back to between the 7^th and the 8^th centuries, is 48cm in length, 34cm in width and 95cm in height.

Ganesha is regarded as the god of wisdom, knowledge and prosperity. In the Hindu mythology, Ganesha, the son of Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvati is the God of Fortune, Knowledge and Literature and. He is amongst the most ancient deities of Hindu temples and also the most popular one as his capacity to remove all difficulties and hurdles in life. Lord Ganesha has been worshipped by Hinduism communities till today.

Found during an excavation in Binh Dinh Province in 1933 and 1934 conducted by EFEO, the sandstone sculpture of Gajasimha is 100cm in length, 84cm in width and 215cm in height and it dates back to the 7^th century.

Gajasimha has an elephant’s head and a lion’s body. In Indian mythology, an elephant’s head often symbolized the wisdom and power of a god and the lion body represented the king’s monarchy. Large Gajasimha statues are placed in front of the shrines, acting as gatekeepers. The art piece demonstrates the head of an elephant, the neck wearing a rattle, the chest hair stylised with the stripes often seen on the statues of the Thap Mam period. This sacred animal is a prominent and popular subject for many Champa sculptures during this period.

Till date, the total number of artifacts earned Viet Nam's national treasure status kept at the Da Nang Museum of Cham Sculpture to six. The remaining four artifacts are the Tara Bodhisattva Statue, and the Tra Kieu, My Son E1 and Dong Duong pedestals.

Champa was an Indic civilization that flourished along the coasts of what is now central and southern Viet Nam for roughly a one thousand year period between 500 and 1500 AD.

The remnants of classical Cham arts extant today are seen mainly in brick temples, sandstone sculptures in the round, and sandstone sculptures in high and low relief. A few bronze sculptures and decorative items made of metal remain as well.

By XUAN DUNG – Translated by A. T