The Kingdom of Champa

The foundation and early history of the Cham kingdom has been dealt with in a previous chapter. The story is now taken up from the early part of the seventh century, when the accession of the T’ang dynasty in China brought a lull in Cham aggression which for various reasons lasted until the beginning of the ninth century. The seventh century saw the beginnings of artistic developments, chiefly at Misön and Tra-kieu, close to Amaravati (Quang-nam) just south of modern Tourane and the Col des Nuages. Some of the Misön monuments are still to be seen, but at Tra-kieu only the bases remain, since the city was later destroyed. Most of them belong to the long and peaceful reign of Prakasadharma, who on coming to the throne in 6S3 adopted the regnal title of Vikrantavarman. They are closely Indian in style. Several are dedicated to Vishnu, whose cult appears for the first time in Champa during his reign. Both he and his successor, Vikrantavarman II (?686–731), sent numerous missions to China. A rock inscription of Prakasadharma, found to the north of Nha-trang, shows that his sway extended well to the south of the modern Cap Varella.

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