THE KINGDOM OF CHAMPA
Students will study the early history of Vietnam using online resources to learn about the history of the Champa Kingdom. With special focus on the art displayed at the Cham Museum in Danang, students will examine how Indian traders influenced the culture of Southeast Asia during the second through fifth centuries. Students will evaluate works of Cham sculpture to recognize Hindu iconography and distinguish unique Cham charac-teristics. They will learn of the efforts of UNESCO to preserve Cham archaeological sites at Myson. Students will utilize technology to demonstrate their learning by creating a product of their choice: a color brochure, video commercial, audio script, or power point presentation to describe three objects on display in a “virtual Cham Museum.”
GRADE LEVEL: 7th - 12th SUBJECT AREA(S): World History/Visual Arts
KEY QUESTIONS:
• Who were the Champa and where was their kingdom?
• In what ways did Indian civilization influence the Champa?
• What are the characteristics of Cham art and architecture?
• How does a work of art reflect the history, culture and values of a culture?
Historical Overview
Although the powerful Kingdom of Champa dominated central Vietnam for more than 1,200 years, their culture is little known in the west. Today the crumbling ruins of their temples are protected by UNESCO’s World Heritage Fund. The sites are also becoming tourist destina-tions. The Cham came to power in the 2nd century, AD and settled along the coastal areas of central Vietnam. The economy was based on maritime trade with ports at Hoi An and Qui Nhon and also piracy. Sometime in the 4th century, contact with Indian traders brought the influence of Hindu religion, art, and social customs to Cham society. During the 9th century, the Cham embraced Buddhism, and later Islam during the 17th century. Today there are more than 77,000 Cham descendants living in southern Vietnam and in neighboring Cambodia.
The Cham are believed to be of Australo-Indonesian origin; they are ethnically and culturally distinct from the Viet to the north and the Khmer to the west. Early mention of the Cham are contained in Chinese records dating to 192 AD. Efforts to expand their kingdom resulted in battles with the Han Chinese for control of provinces near the Red River Delta to the north in the 4th century. The Chinese regained control of the area and attacked the Champa capital of Simhapura in 446 AD. Ongoing rebellion over the centuries by the Viet resulted in Vietnam’s independence in the 10th century. However, the Cham battled the Viet for control of their northern border.
Likewise the Cham was faced with regular incursions by the powerful Khmer kingdom in the south. Ultimately, the Cham retaliated by capturing the Khmer capital at Angkor in 1177 AD. The reaction of the Khmers under Jayavarman VII was fierce and decisive. By 1190 Champa was split into two kingdoms, one became a Khmer vassal state and the other was linked to Angkor by dynastic right. By 1220 AD the Champa region was annexed by the Khmer, and the art reflects the noteworthy influence of that occupation. Politically, the Viet posed the greater threat to the Cham kingdom and it slowly moved south claiming territory. In 1471 the Viet overcame the Cham at their capital of Vijaya ending their independence. With little cultural ties to their Hindu heritage and with the introduction of Islam to what remained of their kingdom, Cham culture diminished. By 1820 the last Cham king and many
of his subjects fled to neighboring Cambodia or Malaysia.
What remains of 1,200 years of the Kingdom of Champa are the beautiful sculptures which combine aspects native beliefs and Hindu and Buddhist imagery. Established in 1915 by the French, the Cham Museum in Danang displays fine examples of Hindu deities including Brahma, Vishnu, Shiva, Parvati, Saraswati, and Ganesh. Demons, devas, and demigods show stylistic influences of Hindu culture but also reflect unique Cham artistic elements. Of great interest are the unique pedestals on display. These symbols of fertility called uroja (meaning “women’s breasts) likely reveal the esteem afforded women in Cham culture.
The museum also contains examples of linga and yoni familiar to Hindu temples. The striking Tra Kieu pedestal displays bas
relief scenes of the Ramayana epic.
Because of the Khmer and Viet conquests, gold or bronze Cham artifacts have vanished. Though ceramics was important, very little from the whole classical period exists except for recent accidental discoveries. As a result, Cham art is known through the sculpture, altars, and architecture.
Approximately 45 miles southwest of present-day Danang, lie the My Son ruins. This city was founded in the 4th century by King Bhadesvara and was dedicated to the gods, and to Shiva in particular. This was the most important religious and architectural city of the Cham Kingdom and once contained more than 70 buildings. Heavy bombing during the Vietnam War damaged many of the temples and today there are approximately 20 recognizable temples that are protected by UNESCO’s World Heritage Fund. Though not as impressive as the temples at Angkor, the unique burnt-brick structures at My Son are distinctive and reflect the long reign of the Kingdom of Champa.
CURRICULUM STANDARDS:
National History Standards
Era 4: Expanding Zones of Exchange and Encounter, 300-1000 CE
1D - The student understands the expansion of Hindu and Buddhist traditions in Southeast Asia in the first millennium CE.
Assess the relationship between long-distance trade of Indian and Malay peoples and the introduction of Hindu and Buddhist traditions in Southeast Asia.
Explain the impact of Indian civilization on state-building in mainland Southeast Asia and the Indonesian archipelago. (analyze cause-and-effect relationships)
Evaluate monumental religious architecture exemplifying the spread of Buddhist and Hindu Belief and practice in Southeast Asia (draw upon visual sources)
National Technology Foundation Standards
1. Basic operations and concepts - Students are proficient in the use of technology.
2. Social, ethical, and human issues
Students develop positive attitudes toward technology uses that support lifelong learning, collaboration, personal pursuits, and productivity.
3. Technology productivity tools
Students use technology tools to enhance learning, increase productivity, and promote creativity.
Students use productivity tools to collaborate in constructing technology-enhanced models, prepare publications, and produce other creative works.
4. Technology communications tools
Students use telecommunications to collaborate, publish, and interact with peers, experts, and other audiences.
Students use a variety of media and formats to communicate information and ideas effectively to multiple audiences.
5. Technology research tools - Students use technology to locate, evaluate, and collect information from a variety of sources.
California Visual Arts Standards
1.0 ARTISTIC PERCEPTION - Processing, Analyzing, and Responding to Sensory Information Through the Language and Skills Unique to the Visual Arts.
Students perceive and respond to works of art, objects in nature, events, and the environment. They also use the vocabulary of the visual arts to express their observations.
3.0 HISTORICAL AND CULTURAL CONTEXT - Understanding the Historical Contributions and Cultural Dimensions of the Visual Arts.
Students analyze the role and development of the visual arts in past and present cultures throughout the world, noting human diversity as it relates to the visual arts and artists.
4.0 AESTHETIC VALUING - Responding to, Analyzing, and Making Judgments About Works in the Visual Arts.
Students analyze, assess, and derive meaning from works of art, including their own, according to the elements of art, the principles of design, and aesthetic qualities.
California Historical and Social Sciences Analysis Skills for Grades 6 - 8
Students demonstrate the following intellectual reasoning, reflection, and research skills:
Chronological and Spatial Thinking: Students use a variety of maps ... to explain the historical migration of people, expansion and disintegration of empires, and the growth of economic systems.
Research, Evidence, and Point of View: Students frame questions that can be answered by historical study and research.
Historical Interpretation:
1. Students explain the central issues and problems from the past, placing people and events in a matrix of time and place.
2. Students understand and distinguish cause, effect, sequence, and correlation in historical events, including the long-and short-term causal relations.
3. Students explain the sources of historical continuity and how the combination of ideas and events explains the emergence of new patterns.
MATERIALS REQUIRED:
Online resources (see below)
Classroom maps of Southeast Asia including Vietnam
Computers with online access
Digital programs for graphic design and presentation
Images of Cham Art & Architecture (online & Appendices 1 and 4)
Appendices #1 - 6 - click on item below:
• Images of Cham Art (Appendix #1)
• Influence of Trade and Exchange in Southeast Asia (Appendix #2)
• Maritime Trade in Southeast Asia (Appendix #3)
• Characteristics of Cham Architecture (Appendix #4 - Images & description of My Son temples)
• Characteristics of Cham Art (Appendix #5 - Names of various deities with descriptions of appearance)
• Rubric for scoring student product (Appendix #6)
Introduce topic:
• What does the term “Indo-China” mean?
• What countries comprise Southeast Asia?
• What are the cultural influences on the region?
• What is meant by “Indianization?”
• What indigenous culture developed in Vietnam, Thailand, Cambodia, and Malaysia?
• Why would UNESCO protect certain sites throughout the world?
• What places in Southeast Asia have been designated as World Heritage Sites? Why?
Develop Lesson:
Students will examine classroom atlases to locate Southeast Asia.
Identify countries that comprise this region of the world.
Discuss the term “Indo-China” and the context in which it has been used in the West.
Introduce the geography of Southeast Asia. Have students learn country names.
Introduce the Kingdom of Champa that developed in central Vietnam. (see Background Notes for information)
Students can go online to read about the “Indianization” of Southeast, an outcome of the early spice trade.
(see APPENDIX #2 - Trade and Exchange in Southeast Asia)
(see APPENDIX #3 - Maritime Trade in Southeast Asia)
Processing:
Review the role of the arts in embodying the ideals of a culture.
Review iconography of Indian art and mythology. (How do we recognize Shiva? How is Ganesh depicted?) See Appendix #5
Introduce students to Cham art by showing the “Apsara.” Discuss features of the art and apparent influences.
Tell students that they will learn about the Kingdom of Champa by studying the art and architecture of this unique culture. Tell them they will do online research
about the Champa. Their goal is to view a wide range of sculpture using online and photo file images. They must create a product that showcases what they’ve
learned and includes information about the history and culture of the Champa. Students will produce one of the following:
• color brochure
• video commercial
• podcast
• power point presentation
* iMovie
ASSESSMENT - See evaluation rubric - APPENDIX #6
EXTENSION ACTIVITY:
In Northern California, students can visit the Asian Art Museum to see three examples of Cham art on permanent display. Docent-led tours for students are available. In New York City, students can see examples of Cham art at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. In Paris, the Guimet National Museum of Asian Art has a collection of Cham images on display.
Students can discuss the worthiness of UNESCO’s World Heritage Fund to protect and preserve sites of archaeological importance.
ONLINE RESOURCES
The Art of the Cham. Pacific University: Asian Studies on the Pacific Coast, 2003.
Asian Art Museum, Southeast Asian Galleries, San Francisco, CA
Asian Historical Architecture (See My Son)
Guimet National Museum of Asian Art
Metropolitan Museum of Art
UNESCO World Heritage - My Son (Click on "gallery")
World Heritage Committee Inscribes 48 New Sites on Heritage List
http://whc.unesco.org/en/map/
My Son Sanctuary, NHK media & 360 degree views
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES FOR TEACHERS
The Asian Art Museum of San Francisco: Selected Works. Seattle: University of Washington Press, 1994.
Cady, John F. Southeast Asia and Its Historical Development. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill Book Company, 1964.
Coedes, George. The Indianized States of Southeast Asia, Honolulu: East-West Center Press, 1964.
Coedes, George. The Making of South East Asia, Berkeley: University of California Press, 1962.
Dallapiccola, Anna L. Dictionary of Hindu Lore and Legend. London: Thames & Hudson, 2002.
Duoc, Huynh Thi. Cham Architecture and Indian Mythology. Danang Publishing House, 2006.
Guillion, Emmanuel. Cham Art, Treasures from the Da Nang Museum. Bangkok: River Books Ltd., 2001.
Hall, D.G.E., A History of Southeast Asia. New York: MacMillan & Co., Ltd., 1955.
Jessup, Helen Ibbitson and Thierry Zephir, ed., Sculpture of Angkor and Ancient Cambodia. Washington, DC: National Gallery of Art, 1997.
Mus, Paul & Etienne Aymonier. Religious Ceremonies and Superstitions of the Champa. Bangkok: White Lotus Press, 2001.
Parmentier, Henri. Cham Sculpture. Bangkok: White Lotus Press, 2001.
Roveda, Vittorio. Khmer Mythology. London: River Books, 1997.
Vietnam, Fodor’s 3rd Edition. New York: Fodor’s Travel Publications, 2003.
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES FOR STUDENTS
Ions, Veronica. Indian Mythology. New York: Peter Bedrick, 1984.
Jaffrey, Madhur. Seasons of Splendor: Tales, Myths, and Legends of India. New York: Athenaeum, 1985.
Storm, Rachel. Indian Mythology: Myths and Legends of India, Tibet and Sri Lanka. London: Anness Publishing Limited, 2000.
Students will study the early history of Vietnam using online resources to learn about the history of the Champa Kingdom. With special focus on the art displayed at the Cham Museum in Danang, students will examine how Indian traders influenced the culture of Southeast Asia during the second through fifth centuries. Students will evaluate works of Cham sculpture to recognize Hindu iconography and distinguish unique Cham charac-teristics. They will learn of the efforts of UNESCO to preserve Cham archaeological sites at Myson. Students will utilize technology to demonstrate their learning by creating a product of their choice: a color brochure, video commercial, audio script, or power point presentation to describe three objects on display in a “virtual Cham Museum.”
GRADE LEVEL: 7th - 12th SUBJECT AREA(S): World History/Visual Arts
KEY QUESTIONS:
• Who were the Champa and where was their kingdom?
• In what ways did Indian civilization influence the Champa?
• What are the characteristics of Cham art and architecture?
• How does a work of art reflect the history, culture and values of a culture?
Historical Overview
Although the powerful Kingdom of Champa dominated central Vietnam for more than 1,200 years, their culture is little known in the west. Today the crumbling ruins of their temples are protected by UNESCO’s World Heritage Fund. The sites are also becoming tourist destina-tions. The Cham came to power in the 2nd century, AD and settled along the coastal areas of central Vietnam. The economy was based on maritime trade with ports at Hoi An and Qui Nhon and also piracy. Sometime in the 4th century, contact with Indian traders brought the influence of Hindu religion, art, and social customs to Cham society. During the 9th century, the Cham embraced Buddhism, and later Islam during the 17th century. Today there are more than 77,000 Cham descendants living in southern Vietnam and in neighboring Cambodia.
The Cham are believed to be of Australo-Indonesian origin; they are ethnically and culturally distinct from the Viet to the north and the Khmer to the west. Early mention of the Cham are contained in Chinese records dating to 192 AD. Efforts to expand their kingdom resulted in battles with the Han Chinese for control of provinces near the Red River Delta to the north in the 4th century. The Chinese regained control of the area and attacked the Champa capital of Simhapura in 446 AD. Ongoing rebellion over the centuries by the Viet resulted in Vietnam’s independence in the 10th century. However, the Cham battled the Viet for control of their northern border.
Likewise the Cham was faced with regular incursions by the powerful Khmer kingdom in the south. Ultimately, the Cham retaliated by capturing the Khmer capital at Angkor in 1177 AD. The reaction of the Khmers under Jayavarman VII was fierce and decisive. By 1190 Champa was split into two kingdoms, one became a Khmer vassal state and the other was linked to Angkor by dynastic right. By 1220 AD the Champa region was annexed by the Khmer, and the art reflects the noteworthy influence of that occupation. Politically, the Viet posed the greater threat to the Cham kingdom and it slowly moved south claiming territory. In 1471 the Viet overcame the Cham at their capital of Vijaya ending their independence. With little cultural ties to their Hindu heritage and with the introduction of Islam to what remained of their kingdom, Cham culture diminished. By 1820 the last Cham king and many
of his subjects fled to neighboring Cambodia or Malaysia.
What remains of 1,200 years of the Kingdom of Champa are the beautiful sculptures which combine aspects native beliefs and Hindu and Buddhist imagery. Established in 1915 by the French, the Cham Museum in Danang displays fine examples of Hindu deities including Brahma, Vishnu, Shiva, Parvati, Saraswati, and Ganesh. Demons, devas, and demigods show stylistic influences of Hindu culture but also reflect unique Cham artistic elements. Of great interest are the unique pedestals on display. These symbols of fertility called uroja (meaning “women’s breasts) likely reveal the esteem afforded women in Cham culture.
The museum also contains examples of linga and yoni familiar to Hindu temples. The striking Tra Kieu pedestal displays bas
relief scenes of the Ramayana epic.
Because of the Khmer and Viet conquests, gold or bronze Cham artifacts have vanished. Though ceramics was important, very little from the whole classical period exists except for recent accidental discoveries. As a result, Cham art is known through the sculpture, altars, and architecture.
Approximately 45 miles southwest of present-day Danang, lie the My Son ruins. This city was founded in the 4th century by King Bhadesvara and was dedicated to the gods, and to Shiva in particular. This was the most important religious and architectural city of the Cham Kingdom and once contained more than 70 buildings. Heavy bombing during the Vietnam War damaged many of the temples and today there are approximately 20 recognizable temples that are protected by UNESCO’s World Heritage Fund. Though not as impressive as the temples at Angkor, the unique burnt-brick structures at My Son are distinctive and reflect the long reign of the Kingdom of Champa.
CURRICULUM STANDARDS:
National History Standards
Era 4: Expanding Zones of Exchange and Encounter, 300-1000 CE
1D - The student understands the expansion of Hindu and Buddhist traditions in Southeast Asia in the first millennium CE.
Assess the relationship between long-distance trade of Indian and Malay peoples and the introduction of Hindu and Buddhist traditions in Southeast Asia.
Explain the impact of Indian civilization on state-building in mainland Southeast Asia and the Indonesian archipelago. (analyze cause-and-effect relationships)
Evaluate monumental religious architecture exemplifying the spread of Buddhist and Hindu Belief and practice in Southeast Asia (draw upon visual sources)
National Technology Foundation Standards
1. Basic operations and concepts - Students are proficient in the use of technology.
2. Social, ethical, and human issues
Students develop positive attitudes toward technology uses that support lifelong learning, collaboration, personal pursuits, and productivity.
3. Technology productivity tools
Students use technology tools to enhance learning, increase productivity, and promote creativity.
Students use productivity tools to collaborate in constructing technology-enhanced models, prepare publications, and produce other creative works.
4. Technology communications tools
Students use telecommunications to collaborate, publish, and interact with peers, experts, and other audiences.
Students use a variety of media and formats to communicate information and ideas effectively to multiple audiences.
5. Technology research tools - Students use technology to locate, evaluate, and collect information from a variety of sources.
California Visual Arts Standards
1.0 ARTISTIC PERCEPTION - Processing, Analyzing, and Responding to Sensory Information Through the Language and Skills Unique to the Visual Arts.
Students perceive and respond to works of art, objects in nature, events, and the environment. They also use the vocabulary of the visual arts to express their observations.
3.0 HISTORICAL AND CULTURAL CONTEXT - Understanding the Historical Contributions and Cultural Dimensions of the Visual Arts.
Students analyze the role and development of the visual arts in past and present cultures throughout the world, noting human diversity as it relates to the visual arts and artists.
4.0 AESTHETIC VALUING - Responding to, Analyzing, and Making Judgments About Works in the Visual Arts.
Students analyze, assess, and derive meaning from works of art, including their own, according to the elements of art, the principles of design, and aesthetic qualities.
California Historical and Social Sciences Analysis Skills for Grades 6 - 8
Students demonstrate the following intellectual reasoning, reflection, and research skills:
Chronological and Spatial Thinking: Students use a variety of maps ... to explain the historical migration of people, expansion and disintegration of empires, and the growth of economic systems.
Research, Evidence, and Point of View: Students frame questions that can be answered by historical study and research.
Historical Interpretation:
1. Students explain the central issues and problems from the past, placing people and events in a matrix of time and place.
2. Students understand and distinguish cause, effect, sequence, and correlation in historical events, including the long-and short-term causal relations.
3. Students explain the sources of historical continuity and how the combination of ideas and events explains the emergence of new patterns.
MATERIALS REQUIRED:
Online resources (see below)
Classroom maps of Southeast Asia including Vietnam
Computers with online access
Digital programs for graphic design and presentation
Images of Cham Art & Architecture (online & Appendices 1 and 4)
Appendices #1 - 6 - click on item below:
• Images of Cham Art (Appendix #1)
• Influence of Trade and Exchange in Southeast Asia (Appendix #2)
• Maritime Trade in Southeast Asia (Appendix #3)
• Characteristics of Cham Architecture (Appendix #4 - Images & description of My Son temples)
• Characteristics of Cham Art (Appendix #5 - Names of various deities with descriptions of appearance)
• Rubric for scoring student product (Appendix #6)
Introduce topic:
• What does the term “Indo-China” mean?
• What countries comprise Southeast Asia?
• What are the cultural influences on the region?
• What is meant by “Indianization?”
• What indigenous culture developed in Vietnam, Thailand, Cambodia, and Malaysia?
• Why would UNESCO protect certain sites throughout the world?
• What places in Southeast Asia have been designated as World Heritage Sites? Why?
Develop Lesson:
Students will examine classroom atlases to locate Southeast Asia.
Identify countries that comprise this region of the world.
Discuss the term “Indo-China” and the context in which it has been used in the West.
Introduce the geography of Southeast Asia. Have students learn country names.
Introduce the Kingdom of Champa that developed in central Vietnam. (see Background Notes for information)
Students can go online to read about the “Indianization” of Southeast, an outcome of the early spice trade.
(see APPENDIX #2 - Trade and Exchange in Southeast Asia)
(see APPENDIX #3 - Maritime Trade in Southeast Asia)
Processing:
Review the role of the arts in embodying the ideals of a culture.
Review iconography of Indian art and mythology. (How do we recognize Shiva? How is Ganesh depicted?) See Appendix #5
Introduce students to Cham art by showing the “Apsara.” Discuss features of the art and apparent influences.
Tell students that they will learn about the Kingdom of Champa by studying the art and architecture of this unique culture. Tell them they will do online research
about the Champa. Their goal is to view a wide range of sculpture using online and photo file images. They must create a product that showcases what they’ve
learned and includes information about the history and culture of the Champa. Students will produce one of the following:
• color brochure
• video commercial
• podcast
• power point presentation
* iMovie
ASSESSMENT - See evaluation rubric - APPENDIX #6
EXTENSION ACTIVITY:
In Northern California, students can visit the Asian Art Museum to see three examples of Cham art on permanent display. Docent-led tours for students are available. In New York City, students can see examples of Cham art at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. In Paris, the Guimet National Museum of Asian Art has a collection of Cham images on display.
Students can discuss the worthiness of UNESCO’s World Heritage Fund to protect and preserve sites of archaeological importance.
ONLINE RESOURCES
The Art of the Cham. Pacific University: Asian Studies on the Pacific Coast, 2003.
Asian Art Museum, Southeast Asian Galleries, San Francisco, CA
Asian Historical Architecture (See My Son)
Guimet National Museum of Asian Art
Metropolitan Museum of Art
UNESCO World Heritage - My Son (Click on "gallery")
World Heritage Committee Inscribes 48 New Sites on Heritage List
http://whc.unesco.org/en/map/
My Son Sanctuary, NHK media & 360 degree views
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES FOR TEACHERS
The Asian Art Museum of San Francisco: Selected Works. Seattle: University of Washington Press, 1994.
Cady, John F. Southeast Asia and Its Historical Development. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill Book Company, 1964.
Coedes, George. The Indianized States of Southeast Asia, Honolulu: East-West Center Press, 1964.
Coedes, George. The Making of South East Asia, Berkeley: University of California Press, 1962.
Dallapiccola, Anna L. Dictionary of Hindu Lore and Legend. London: Thames & Hudson, 2002.
Duoc, Huynh Thi. Cham Architecture and Indian Mythology. Danang Publishing House, 2006.
Guillion, Emmanuel. Cham Art, Treasures from the Da Nang Museum. Bangkok: River Books Ltd., 2001.
Hall, D.G.E., A History of Southeast Asia. New York: MacMillan & Co., Ltd., 1955.
Jessup, Helen Ibbitson and Thierry Zephir, ed., Sculpture of Angkor and Ancient Cambodia. Washington, DC: National Gallery of Art, 1997.
Mus, Paul & Etienne Aymonier. Religious Ceremonies and Superstitions of the Champa. Bangkok: White Lotus Press, 2001.
Parmentier, Henri. Cham Sculpture. Bangkok: White Lotus Press, 2001.
Roveda, Vittorio. Khmer Mythology. London: River Books, 1997.
Vietnam, Fodor’s 3rd Edition. New York: Fodor’s Travel Publications, 2003.
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES FOR STUDENTS
Ions, Veronica. Indian Mythology. New York: Peter Bedrick, 1984.
Jaffrey, Madhur. Seasons of Splendor: Tales, Myths, and Legends of India. New York: Athenaeum, 1985.
Storm, Rachel. Indian Mythology: Myths and Legends of India, Tibet and Sri Lanka. London: Anness Publishing Limited, 2000.