The Architectural Heritage of Po Klong Garai Tower

About nine kilometers northwest of Phan Rang city, the Po Klong Garai tower complex stands on Tra Hill (Do Vinh ward) as one of the most majestic and best-preserved groups of Cham towers along the central coast, and a defining symbol of Cham culture.

The complex originally had six towers; three survive intact today: the main tower (Kalan, roughly 21 meters tall), the fire tower (about 9 meters), and the gate tower (about 8.5 meters). Built in the 13th century, it honors King Po Klong Garai (1151–1205), celebrated for building the irrigation works that brought water to the fields of the Panduranga principality — the Nha Trinh dam and canal system he commissioned are still in use today.

Architecturally, the main tower has a square base nearly ten meters to a side, with one true east-facing door and three false doors. The entrance to the main sanctuary is carved with a dancing Shiva; the base is built of brick rather than stone, the plain tower body lacks the vine-scroll ornamentation typical of the My Son style, and the three-tiered roof is decorated with carvings of the sacred Garuda bird facing each direction.

Po Klong Garai remains a "living" tower: each year the Cham community holds three major ceremonies here — the Opening of the Tower Doors, the Kate festival honoring the father deity in late autumn, and the Cambun festival honoring the mother deity. On these days the tower doors open to welcoming worshippers who pray for bountiful harvests and peaceful lives. In 1979 the complex was designated a Special National Relic.