Vietnam Travel - Oc Eo Cultural Relics on Ba The Mountain
by : Jim Olivero
A recommended stop en route is Ba The market, or Oc Eo Town, which was a busy port in the Middle Ages. Excavations began in 1942 and in 1944 the Oc Eo citadel was found. Archaeologists unearthed many valuable artifacts including molds made of gold, bronze, stone and pottery, statues featuring Buddhist and Hindu gods such as Buddha and Ganesha and sacred animals and Yoni and Linga.
It takes only 15 minutes to reach Ba The mountain peak by motorbike on a road that winds through forests, cliffs, and abysses. The ancient Son Tien pagoda stands solemnly on the apex, next to a three-meter high granite rock. Legend has it that the large footprint on the rock belongs to a god who set his footstep on soft land at the dawn of humankind.
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In a recently completed museum, designed in the style of temples of southern Asia, is a display of many historic and cultural antiques of Ba The-Oc Eo culture. Unlike the colorful, detailed Angkor-Khmer architectural style, this building is decorated simply in brown, gray, and white. Hindu features are easily identified in the round domes and high doors, each with an upturned U. From afar, the building looks like a personification of Yoni and Linga icons. A balcony decorated with Arabian ponies circles an exhibition hall on a square area. The person faces the sunrise, which is believed to be the palace of gods in Hinduism.
Local residents frequently recount a story about a man who went up the mountain to lead a religious life but he still missed his wife and his homeland. When he passed away, people found a stone with a shape like a man wearing a hat and they rumored that the man turned to stone. They then named the mountain "Vong The" (longing to see the wife) after this legend.
Another legend refers to a sword-shaped rock on Ba The mountain called Thach Dai, which is believed to be a magic wand from heaven to punish the cruel.
Whether the legends are true or not, Ba The is an ideal destination for tourists wishing to spend some quiet moments watching the sun set on the mountains.
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