Champa: One Kingdom Two Countries?

In May 2020, an archaeological discovery from the site of My Son in Quang Nam province of Central Vietnam highlighted the shared cultural civilisation between India and Vietnam. The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI), while conducting conservation work at the Cham Temple Complex in My Son, discovered a monolithic sandstone Shiva Linga belonging to the 9th century CE. This discovery takes us back to the ancient Kingdom of Champa in Vietnam that drew major influences and inspiration from India.

India shares a long history with South-East Asian countries like Vietnam and Cambodia. Vietnam, which was earlier known as Champa, actively traded with ports in the Indian subcontinent. Some of these ports were located in the ancient kingdom of Kalinga, which covered most of present-day Odisha and which played a crucial role in trade via the Bay of Bengal.