1,039 years ago, in 982, the Dai Viet army under King Le Dai Hanh attacked the capital of Champa for the first time. The battle still leaves traces and is an expensive lesson in international relations.
Dong Duong (Indrapura) capital of Champa country
Dong Duong (now in Dong Duong village, Binh Dinh Bac commune, Thang Binh district, Quang Nam province) was the capital of the Cham people from 875 to 982.
After the capital of Tra Kieu (Shimhapura) was attacked by Sui (China) general Luu Phuong in 605 and especially following the internal crisis in the middle of the 8th century, the Champa people moved the capital one circuit to the southernmost point in Virapura (Phan Rang, Ninh Thuan province).
According to the Dong Duong II inscription, following ascending the throne, Indravarman II moved the capital from the south (Virapura) to the north and named the new capital following his name: Indrapura: the capital of the God of Thunder. That is the capital Dong Duong.
In Dong Duong, there are still some vestiges: Square Citadel in Thanh forest area where two streams meet Ngoc Kho and Ba Dang. This is considered the military headquarters of the kingdom. The Royal Palace, located at Square Pond, is currently near the headquarters of the People’s Committee of Binh Dinh Bac Commune, Thang Binh District, Quang Nam Province.
Buddha Monastery, currently located north of National Highway 14B. In addition, at the meeting place of Ly Ly river and Ngoc Kho stream, there are still traces of watchtowers and on Tra Cai mountain, there are traces of stone artefacts for statues.
Compared to Tra Kieu, Dong Duong is inferior, the location is not as favorable (small rivers, barren land, harsh climate), the scale is not as great.
Tra Kieu has a wall, a higher tower, a complete deep moat. Dong Duong has a small scale, mainly an architectural campus. But perhaps, Indrapura is more “splendid”, as it is said in the inscription: “Splendidly decorated like the city of Indra in the heavens”.
Dong Duong altar still has vestiges of the battle in 982. Dong Duong capital, also known as the Thunder capital of Champa country, is now the area of Dong Duong village, Binh Dinh Bac commune, Thang Binh district, Quang Nam province.
The Indrapura period was the heyday of the Champa Kingdom and especially the flourishing of Buddhism, stemming from the founder’s belief and respect for Buddha. To express specifically the king built a Buddhist monastery Lakshmindralokesvara right in the middle of the city.
The name of the Buddhist monastery is a combination of the name of King Indrapura with the name of the Bodhisattva worshiped as Lokesvara. This is the “biggest and most important” Buddhist monastery not only of Champa but also of Southeast Asia” (Ngo Van Doanh, Champa Ancient Culture, National Culture Publishing House, 2002, page 76). ).
The first battle between Dai Viet-Chiem Thanh
The battle once morest King Le Dai Hanh’s capital Indrapura in 982 is considered the first battle between Dai Viet and Champa. Today we don’t have much information regarding this battle other than a passage in Dai Viet’s history book: “The king himself went to fight Champa, and won.
Before that, the king sent Tu Muc and Ngo Tu Canh to Champa porcelain, arrested by the Champa people. The king was angry, ordered to build warships to repair weapons, and made himself a general to fight and cut Be Mi Tax at the battle. Chiem Thanh lost big.
They captured countless soldiers alive, along with a prostitute in the palace of a hundred people and a monk from Thien Truc people, brought back precious items, collected thousands of gold and silver, and razed the citadel. destroyed the sect, following a year, he returned to the scriptures” (Company, The Book of Q.1, page 16a).
The cause of the battle was clear: Champa not only refused to receive but also captured the ambassador of Dai Viet. But that was only the direct cause, the last drop of water overflowing the glass.
Many information shows that following Dai Viet gained independence in 938 and became a powerful force, the Champa people began to worry and sought all ways to harass and weaken. To do this they must rely on the Chinese power. Never in history has the relationship between Champa and China warmed up like this.
From 951 to 971, there were 7 Champa missions to China. From 972 to 979, it was even more bustling, with 6 other missions. In particular, the missions were always led by people with high positions in the court and often those with close relatives of the royal family.
Conf . But the big storm drowned the whole fleet, Ngo Nhat Khanh and the Chiem were all drowned, only the boat of King Chiem escaped and ran back to the country.
Remnants of the battle in 982 were recorded nearly 1,000 years later. In 1902 Henri Parmentier came to survey Dong Duong and concluded: The capital Dong Duong was systematically looted and devastated by a huge fire.
The inside of the temple was dug, smashed and burned. He dredged up a lot of ashes in the pit (marks of digging) and saw an Apsara stone statue burned to lime. The stone linoleum cracked from the fire.
Today, traces of this battle can still be seen on the black stains caused by smoke in the large sandstone altar of the main Buddha hall, now on display at the Cham Museum in Da Nang.
The tragic event of 982 marked the end of the Indrapura dynasty. King of Champa, Indravarman IV, fled to the south and started a new period of Champa, the Vijaya (Bamboo) period.
Lesson echo
The battle in Dong Duong 1,039 years ago gives us many reflections and lessons to be learned. According to the legend of the Tra tribe, a large family that accounts for more than 40% of the population in today’s Dong Duong village, their ancestor is Mr. Hai Lanh. He was the son of a Chiem princess who was captured and returned to Hoa Lu.
In his old kingdom, he fled to Dong Duong and got married and had children. His two children, Tra Huyen An and Tra Huyen Chon, are known as Mr. Chong and Mr. Dun. These two men have become the gentle money of Dong Duong village. Does this Two-Star character have anything to do with the battle of 982?
It can be seen that a “biased” diplomacy led to the collapse of a powerful dynasty, the ruin of a magnificent city.
If that day, King Chiem Thanh did not rely too much on friendly diplomacy with China but dealt with “silver” to Dai Viet, he would not have to suffer the heavy consequences that today we also have to grieve, like like looking at the desolation of Dong Duong. This is a common lesson in international relations.
When comparing the capital Dong Duong and the capital Tra Kieu, researcher Le Dinh Phung commented: “The current state of the two capitals when surveyed shows that although Dong Duong has few strongholds to protect, it is less damaged. . In the early 20th century, when French scholars surveyed, this monument still has more than 70 tower architectures and many sculptures.
Tra Kieu has a solid citadel, but the architectures in the citadel, the palace and the religion were all flattened. Remember, the capital of Dong Duong was destroyed by the Dai Viet army, the capital of Tra Kieu was burned by the Chinese army (the Sui Dynasty) and Le Dinh Phung’s comments were completely objective, impartial, and did not mean anything. But behind that scientific comment is a whole history lesson worth pondering over!
Implement a project to support information and propaganda on ethnicity – religion
