Po Nagar is an old historic temple built in the 8th century by the Cham people. It is dedicated to Yan Po Nagar who, according to legend, is the founder of the Cham people. The historians who examined different steels were able to tell many stories about the temple.
The temple was restored after being devastated by what appeared to be a foreign invasion in 781AD.
A number of events happened to the temple through the centuries especially in 918AD when Cham Kinh Indravarman III gave the order to build a golden statue of the goddess Bhagavati. The statue did not stay long as years later it was stolen by the Khmer, which made the king replace the lost statue with a new one.
From that time the temple was used to worship gods by religion from different parts of the area. A cult in honour of the goddess Yan Po Nagar was held as well as for the
principal deities of Hinduism and Buddhism.
The temple is a magnificent work of art and a relaxing place. Make sure you take your time exploring the different levels of the temple upon entering. Gently walk around and admire the colossal columns and the altar, where you may witness some people worshiping the god and burning some incense candles. When you finally reach the top level, you will be delighted by the splendid towers, which include a 25m high structure overlooking Nha Trang City. Reaching Po Nagar from downtown Nha Trang is very easy and only takes a few minutes by 
motorbike or taxi. As it is an historic and iconic site, everyone should be able to help you out with directions if ever you get lost, which most likely won’t happen.
Parking spaces and ticket booths are on the lower right level of the temple by the entrance. One adult ticket costs around 21.000VND ($1USD) . Going to the temple at sunrise creates a whole new experience for the visitors, as the background colours are just stunning, the orange shade of the stones that make up the temple becomes warmer and stronger. The only few people you might see are women coming to pray and vendors preparing all their goods before welcoming the tourists for the day.
A short visit at the Po Nagar temple will create a magical experience for your time in Nha Trang. So make sure you take the time to learn more about the city’s past and how they’ve lived in the old times when Southern Vietnam was still under the rule of the Champa Kingdom.
2 Thang 4 Road | at the end of Xom Bong Bridge, Nha Trang, Vietnam
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