Over 70 temples and tombs extant at My Son, Vietnam have been dated to the period between the 4th century and the 14th century AD

Over 70 temples and tombs extant at My Son, Vietnam have been dated to the period between the 4th century and the 14th century AD. The temples are dedicated to the worship of Shiva, known under various local names, the most important of which is Bhadreshvara. This stone linga is dated to the 10th century. It stands next to the temple known as "B4."

The earliest historical events documented by the evidence recovered at My Son relate to the era of King Fànhúdá (Sanskrit Bhadravarman, literally "Blessed armour" but also meaning the Jasminum sambac flower), who ruled from 380 until 413, and who spent the latter part of his reign waging war against the population of Chinese-occupied northern Vietnam. At Mỹ Sơn, Bhadravarman built a hall containing a shivlinga to worship Shiva under the Sanskrit name Bhadresvara "Blessed Lord", a composite created from the king's own name and the word īśvara "lord" commonly used to refer to Shiva.

King Bhadravarman caused a stele to be erected at Mỹ Sơn the inscription on which recorded his foundation. The stele indicates that the king dedicated the entire valley of Mỹ Sơn to Bhadreśvara. The text ends with a plea from Bhadravarman to his successors: "Out of compassion for me do not destroy what I have given." Drawing upon the doctrines of saṃsāra and karma, he added, "If you destroy [my foundation], all your good deeds in your different births shall be mine, and all the bad deeds done by me shall be yours. If, on the contrary, you properly maintain the endowment, the merit shall belong to you alone." Bhadravarman's successors heard his plea, it seems, for Mỹ Sơn became the religious hub of Champa for many generations.! ✨🗿🌿🕉🏯🇻🇳🙏

Om Namah Shivaya ~ Shubh Ratri 🕉🙏🕉