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BANH IT TOWER

General Introduction to Banh It Towers

Banh It Towers are located in Dai Le Hamlet, Tuy Phuoc Bac Commune, Gia Lai Province.
This is one of the largest surviving Cham tower complexes of the Champa Kingdom, considered a beautiful and distinctive site, and the complex with the greatest number of towers still standing in Gia Lai (four in total).

Dating from around the late 10th to early 12th centuries, Banh It Towers were recognized as a national architectural and artistic monument in 1982. In earlier records, the towers were also referred to as Thi Thien Towers, while the French called them Tour d’Argent (Silver Towers).

The Banh It complex is the largest of its kind in Gia Lai, preserving the greatest number of towers in a single group. Today, four towers remain: the Gate Tower (Gopura), the Stele Tower (Posah), the Fire Tower (Kosagrha), and the Main Tower (Kalan).

The Gate Tower (Gopura) and the Fire Tower (Kosagrha)

• Gate Tower (Gopura):
  The Gate Tower stands on the eastern side of the sanctuary complex. Serving as the entrance, it has two doorways aligned on an east–west axis, leading directly to the door of the Main Tower atop the hill.
  The tower is about 13 meters high, built on a square plan with each side approximately 7 meters long. Though not tall in absolute terms, the upward-reaching design of its arched doorways and false doors, shaped like spearheads with layered frames, gives the impression of greater height and elegance.

• Fire Tower (Kosagrha):
  Unlike the other towers with square foundations, the Fire Tower was constructed on a rectangular plan, 12 meters long and 5 meters wide, with a height of about 10 meters. This was the place where ritual offerings were prepared before being carried into the Main Tower for religious ceremonies.

The Main Tower (Kalan) and the Stele Tower (Posah)

• Main Tower (Kalan):
  The Main Tower was the central place of Cham worship and ritual ceremonies. Standing 29.6 meters high, it is built on a square plan, each side 12 meters in length.
  Architecturally, it displays the defining features of the Binh Dinh style: soaring height, massive volume, spearhead-shaped arched doorways, and corner towers rising sharply from each tier of the roof. Combined with its hilltop position, these features give the Main Tower a grand, imposing appearance, far more monumental than earlier Cham towers of previous styles.
  The worship statue of Shiva inside the Main Tower is a 2013 reproduction, based on the original 1.54-meter-high, 1.06-meter-wide statue now preserved at the Guimet Museum in France.

• Stele Tower (Posah):
  Located on the southern side of the complex, this tower was a common feature in large Cham temple groups. Its size is similar to the Gate Tower, but it differs in that all four sides are pierced with doorways opening to the east, west, north, and south. The structure resembles a shelter for a stele, and it is likely that in the past, an inscription stood inside, recording the deeds of kings and the deities worshiped in this sacred space.
  Like the Gate and Fire Towers, the Stele Tower is an exceptionally rare surviving example in Gia Lai and in Cham architectural heritage more broadly.

Architectural Style and Historical Value

According to researchers, Banh It Towers represent a transitional phase in Cham architecture, marking the shift from the My Son A1 style to the Binh Dinh style. Here, one can see the delicate, refined elegance of the My Son A1 style blending with the strength and grandeur of the Binh Dinh style, producing masterpieces of Cham art and architecture.

Because of its unique architectural value, Banh It Towers were introduced by a group of British authors in the book “1,001 Buildings You Must See Before You Die”, bringing this remarkable heritage site of Champa to the attention of readers worldwide.