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I was standing beside a stone statue of Nandi, the bull associated with the Hindu god Shiva. A headless statue of Shiva lay nearby. Surrounding me were the crumbling ruins of temples, gateways and altars. They were all part of an archaeological complex rather unimaginatively called Group E, itself only one of 10 such complexes that make up My Son (pronounced me shahn).

My Son is Viet-Nam's major archaeological site, once the religious and ceremonial center of a powerful kingdom called the Champa. The Cham kingdom flourished almost 1,300 years, from the second to the 15th centuries A.D.

Centered in the middle of present-day Viet-Nam, the Cham were wedged between the Vietnamese in the north and the Khmer in the south. They were continually at war with one or the other until finally being absorbed by the Vietnamese in 1471.

One of SE Asia's greatest sites

The Cham built My Son, considered by archaeologists to be in the same league as some of Southeast Asia's greatest archaeological sites, including Angkor in Cambodia, Bagan in Myanmar, Ayutthaya in Thailand and Borobudur in Indonesia.

All these sites share the common characteristic of having been strongly influenced by India. The Cham adopted the Hindu gods brought to them early on through their extensive trade with India, hence the presence of Shiva and Nandi at My Son.

My Son is an impressive site, although admittedly some of the 10 complexes--like Group E--are mere shadows of their former selves. Time and nature have taken their toll, as did the Viet-Nam War (which the Vietnamese call the American War). American bombers destroyed much of My Son in an attempt to root out the Viet Cong.

Forlorn as some of the temple complexes now look, awaiting the archaeological puzzle skills of scholars, one still can get a pretty good idea of My Son's former grandeur by visiting the complex called B, regarded as the center of My Son. Here, it is easy to see the layout of buildings that typically make up a Cham religious site.

The main structure is the sanctuary, called the kalan, housing a linga, a stylized phallus symbolizing the god Shiva. Group B's kalan was originally built by Cham King Bhadravarman in the fourth century A.D. Next to the kalan is the koshagraha, where sacred books were stored. In front of both buildings is the gopura, a gateway or gate tower, that once led into the religious complex.

Outside the gopura lies the mandapa, a meditation hall. Today it's part of Group D, but originally it almost certainly belonged to Group B. Those who once came here to worship and leave offerings would meditate in the mandapa, then enter through the gopura to reach the kalan.

My Son is also about lovely details found everywhere: remnants of statues in niches on temple facades; elaborate pyramidal roofs typical of Cham temples, many with plants sprouting from them; inscribed stele like the one in Group G with 12th-century Sanskrit script, and, of course, the bull Nandi.

My Son is located 40 miles southwest of Danang. Along the way, 10 miles from the site, is Tra Kieu, first capital of Champa from the fourth to the 10th centuries. My Son was the religious center, Tra Kieu the administrative. Not much remains today of Tra Kieu other than ramparts, but some of the finest Cham sculptures were unearthed here in the late 1920s and are now displayed in the Cham Museum in Danang.

Temple towers

On a much more intimate scale than My Son are the temple towers found throughout central Viet-Nam. I visited two.

Midway between Dalat in the mountains and Nha Trang on the coast is Po Klong Garai, set atop a cactus-covered hill. Built in the 14th century toward the end of Cham supremacy, Po Klong Garai illustrates perfectly the most important structures of a Cham temple complex.

A small, elaborate gopura leads to an equally elaborate mandapa. This, in turn, leads to the kalan. Inside the kalan is a linga with a painted face on it representing Shiva. Po Klong Garai is on a small scale, as if the shrine were meant for individual worshipers rather than masses of people.

Equally intimate is Po Nagar, located at the edge of the seacoast city of Nha Trang. From the ruins of a mandapa, an ancient staircase leads up to the North Tower kalan. Built early in the ninth century, it is one of the oldest structures here.

The kalan shelters the image of Uma, a female manifestation of Shiva, also identified with the mother-goddess Yang Po Ino Nagar. The statue is said to be 1,000 years old. During my visit, worshipers deposited offerings of fruit and flowers at the base of the statue.

Cham sculptures

Superb examples of Chain sculpture are preserved in three museums. The History Museum in Ho Chi Minh City displays a representative selection (near where the water puppet show is presented), as does the History Museum in Hanoi (in the rotunda above the main entrance lobby). But the creme de la creme of Cham sculpture is in the Cham Museum in Danang. It's considered the finest collection of Chain artifacts in the world. For those who have visited My Son and some of the temple towers, it provides an idea of how these sites once looked when their stone niches and alcoves were filled with these statues.

Covering nine centuries (seventh to 15th) of Cham artistic genius, the museum is filled to bursting with altars, lingas and images of Hindu gods. Among many, here are three highlights: a seventh-century My Son stone pedestal with carvings of hermits; the 10th-century pedestal from Tra Kieu depicting episodes from the life of Krishna, and the mesmerizingly beautiful 10th-century stone Tra Kieu dancers.

Highlights

My husband, Paul, and I spent two weeks in Viet-Nam. The Cham ruins were, for me, the highlight of the trip. But we also managed to pack in a great deal more besides.

Some more highlights--lighting spiral incense coils at Thien Hau Temple in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) in the company of Vietnamese worshipers; sailing among the islands of the Mekong River Delta; driving into the mountains to Dalat past rubber, coffee and tea plantations; meandering through the Emperor's Purple Forbidden City in Hue; getting deliberately lost in the maze of streets and alleys of Hanoi's Old Quarter where everything from gravestones to gemstones can be bought; enjoying a delightful water puppet show in Hanoi, and visiting the tombs of Viet-Nam's last emperors, the Nguyen Dynasty, just outside Hue.

Yet more highlights--having an elegant wardrobe of silk clothes tailor made for me in just 24 hours in Hoi An (one black jacket, one full-length black skirt and six brightly colored blouses for $127); staying in two of Viet-Nam's "grande dame" hotels, the Majestic in Ho Chi Minh City and the Metropole in Hanoi, both rich in the atmosphere and architecture of Viet-Nam's colonial past, and discovering wonderful Vietnamese food, including the feast of eight different dishes at the unpretentious Floating Restaurant in Hoi An ($6 for two, including drinks) and the superbly presented gourmet feast at Tinh Gia Vien Restaurant in Hue where taste and artistic presentation coalesced ($20 for two).

If you go ...

I traveled in January 2003 with Bestway Tours & Safaris, a company celebrating its 25th year in the travel business. This was my third trip with Bestway (Iran and North Africa were the others).

My 14-day tour, "Highlights of Vietnam," is offered twice a month throughout the year. The cost is $1,230 per person, including sightseeing, admissions, accommodations, breakfasts and transportation and airfare within Viet-Nam. Other meals and international airfare are not included.

First-class and deluxe hotels are used. Included are some very special hotels like the Majestic in Ho Chi Minh City and the lovely Hoi An Beach Resort beside the South China Sea.

Bestway pretty much covers the globe. I counted 81 tour possibilities listed on their website, including Borneo; Armenia, Georgia, and Azerbaijan; Bolivia, and a rail journey across Canada.

Bestway Tours & Safari is based in Vancouver, Canada, but most of its clients are American. Phone 800/663-0844, e-mail bestway@bestway.com or visit www.bestway@bestway.com. ITN

Julie Skurdenis received a partial discount on the land portion of her trip with Bestway Tours & Safaris.