Simhapura

Simhapura, the Lion City, was an early capital of the Cham realm at Trà Kiệu, west of the coast on the river plain of central Vietnam. Chinese accounts describe a walled royal city with mountains to the southwest and a river to the northeast. Its brick fortifications sheltered a court whose temples housed images of the gods. The neighbouring sanctuary of Mỹ Sơn lay among the hills inland.

The city suffered repeated attacks from the north. In 446 a Chinese army took Simhapura and carried off treasures, and in 605 the Sui general Liu Fang captured it again as the Cham king fled towards the sea. Sculptures associated with Trà Kiệu, including dancers, musicians and sacred creatures, reveal the skill of Cham artists and the religious traditions of the court. Although later royal centres rose elsewhere, the old Lion City remained a landmark of Champa's early history.