Po Nagar

Po Nagar is a Cham temple-tower complex on Cù Lao Mountain near Nha Trang. Founded before 781, it honors Yan Po Nagar, the goddess of the country, later identified with Bhagavati and Hariti. Vietnamese worship later knew her as Thiên Y Thánh Mẫu. The site has three levels, with two rows of towers on the highest terrace and a main tower about 25 metres high. Its central image is a 1.2-metre stone goddess seated cross-legged in a skirt, with ten hands holding symbolic objects. Look above the entrance for the detail that explains her attributes: a four-armed goddess holding a hatchet, lotus, and club while standing on a buffalo. This late 10th- or early 11th-century sculpture connects Yan Po Nagar with Durga, the buffalo-demon slayer.

Don't miss

• Examine the central 1.2-metre goddess statue, whose ten hands hold different symbolic objects.
• Look above the entrance for the four-armed goddess standing on a buffalo, a detail linking Yan Po Nagar with Durga.
• Climb through the complex's three levels to the two rows of towers on the highest terrace.

Tickets & tours

Ways to visit Po Nagar

Cheapest way inNha Trang Mini Open-Top Bus Sightseeing Tour4.3★ · 10 travelers2-5 hoursFree cancellationFrom$5 per personSee dates →Most bookedNha Trang Sunset Cocktails and Dinner Cruise4.9★ · 421 travelers~4 hoursFree cancellationFrom$90 per personSee dates →Private & flexibleNha Trang Half Day Motorbike Tour5★ · 189 travelers5-6 hoursFree cancellationFrom$40 per personSee dates →

Getting there

Know before you go

• The complex is on Cù Lao Mountain near Nha Trang and is arranged across three levels.
• The goddess appears both as the ten-handed central statue and in a smaller buffalo-slayer scene above the entrance.

A bit of history

Inscriptions record repeated damage, theft, and restoration. A linga was restored in 784 after seaborne raiders broke an earlier image. A golden statue ordered in 918 was stolen in 950 and replaced with a stone image in 965.