Hoa Lai Style (First half of the 9th century)

During the first half of the 9th century, the Champa Kingdom remained very prosperous and powerful. At that time, the commercial and economic relations between Southeast-Asian countries and India were almost stopped. Hence, the indigenous arts were no longer directly influenced by Indian art. They entered an independent and wealthy period.The indigenous arts combines selectively with the beauty arts of Indean and foreign arts which were created a distinct splendid period. Hence, the scientists called Hoa Lai style (or late My Son E1 style). The characteristic art of this period shows that many indigenous elements were stressed, pushing back the influence of foreign art. Cham art strongly developed, creating an incredibly attractive, vivid and majestic beauty displayed in decorative motifs. The anthropological characteristics of this period include: square-shaped face, big nose, large mouth, thick lower lip, and bushy moustaches. The garments consist of a stripy tie-belt with the enlarged lower part and its ends folded into thick waves; big round earrings; a single necklace with tassels or a double plain necklace; many ornamental bracelets worn on arms, wrists, forearms, and legs; the hair is twisted into a three-storied cone.

The main architectural features are a band with vertical patterns between two plain bands along the pillars; big gourd shaped vault densely decorated with parallel fishhook-shaped tree branches. Towers built at that time also had pillars adjacent to the walls. All the above elements make the works of this period very impressive, ingenuous, majestic and original. The Hoa Lai group of towers (in Phan Rang) is a masterpiece of Cham art, based on the combination of two aesthetic trends: simple decoration of the My Son E1 style and the more intricate decoration of the new style. The My Son tower complex and the groups following the Hoa Lai style belong to group F (1, 2, 3); A' (1, 2, 3, 4) and C7. Besides, there are some other architectural items such as the lintel, tympana and plinth used in tower Towers C1, D1, and others.