| Abstract: |
In the Phan Rang Province of modern day Vietnam, several monuments named after kings of Champa have received only sporadic attention and identified with the names of Cham kings. Dismissed as examples of the decline of Cham art by some scholars and as inferior to the more "classical" sculptures of My Son and Dong Duong by others, these statues are nonetheless interesting because they are fashioned to look like deities. One such statue in particular, Po Rame, is given eight arms holding objects that are traditionally associated with the Indian god Śiva. This article will examine these statues in the context of Cham religion that is, as local cultural statements that have a particular reference in the history of Champa and its assimilation of India ideas rather than study them as artistic developments that reflect Champa's decline. The fact that the kings of Champa have been depicted as gods posthumously not only symbolizes the desire on the part of the Chams to immortalize their kings and prolong their history in the territory that was gradually falling prey to the Vietnamese, but also illustrates the "localization" of Indian religious concepts in Cham culture whereby Śiva-like qualities are attributed to local figures. Moreover, these statues attest to the autonomy of Cham culture and religion in that cults of deified kings have only local significance, a fact which has often been overlooked by scholars of Champa.
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