QUẢNG NAM — A group of Indian and Vietnamese archaeologists discovered an ancient road underground and some vestiges at the Mỹ Sơn sanctuary in central Quảng Nam Province while undertaking excavation and repair work since mid April.

The ancient road behind K tower is 8m wide, between two parallel walls, which are 0.6m wide each. Parts of the wall, made of terracotta, remain intact.

“This is a brand new and interesting discovery which has great archaeological value,” Lê Việt Thắng, technical staffer of the Mỹ Sơn World Culture Heritage Management Board and a member of the excavation and upgrade group, said.

When the group started excavating the K tower area to strengthen the tower, it was surprised to discover the remains of the ancient road. The group immediately decided to dig an additional 15m to study what was buried under the ancient town ground, according B Kumar, leader of the excavation and upgrade group,.

According to the archaeologist team, this may have been a road exclusively used by royal members and high officials working at the royal court on special occasions, such as when rituals were held at the Mỹ Sơn sanctuary.

The experts discovered one point of the road, located behind the K tower. The other point and date of the road remain unknown.

To preserve the valuable heritage, the experts repaired and strengthened both the K tower and the ancient road simultaneously.

Earlier, on April 16, the archaeologist group also discovered other valuable vestiges, including two stone statues with a human body and a lion’s head and other artifacts made of terracotta buried at the foot of the ancient towers. These artifacts may date back to the 11th or 12th century.

Mỹ Sơn Sanctuary is a cluster of fourth century Hindu temples, located 40km from Hội An. It was recognised as a World Culture Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1999. In 2014, the Mukhalinga, a statue of Hindu god Shiva unearthed at the Mỹ Sơn Sanctuary site in 2012, was recognised as a national treasure. — VNS