Temple of Literature in sketching
Let's explore Van Mieu - Quoc Tu Giam (Temple of Literature), the first university of Vietnam through
Hanoi is famous for being a land of thousands of years of literature with countless priceless relics left by our ancestors such as the sacred Quoc Tu Giam, the majestic Thang Long Imperial Citadel, and Voi Phuc Temple – one of the “four towns of Thang Long”. Long” is full of nostalgic colors, making visitors fall in love.
Introduction to Voi Phuc Temple
Voi Phuc Temple is an ancient temple located at 362 Kim Ma Street, Ngoc Khanh Ward, Ba Dinh District, Hanoi, and is located near Thu Le Park and opposite the Traffic University.
According to historical records, the temple was built in 1065, the 7th year of Chuong Thanh Gia Khanh, to worship Linh Lang Dai Vuong – the son of King Ly Hoang Chan – who defeated the invading Song army and then died. Born in that battle, the temple is also known as Linh Lang Temple. And the name Voi Phuc of the temple also comes from the image of two stone elephants lying prostrate in front of the temple, symbolizing the image of elephants that once knelt in front of Prince Linh Lang to bring people and soldiers out. battle.
In particular, this temple is also in the “Four Tran” system that guarded the west of the ancient Thang Long citadel along with Bach Ma temple in the east, Quan Thanh town temple in the north, Kim Lien town temple in the south, Therefore, it is also known with another beautiful name, Tay Tran Thang Long .
Due to being built a long time ago, experiencing the ravages of time, harsh weather and fierce battles, especially destroyed by the French colonialists in 1947, the temple has been restored. The reconstruction no longer looks like the original, but its majesty, ancient and sacred still flows forever with time.
Therefore, Voi Phuc Temple was ranked as a cultural relic by the Ministry of Culture and Information in 1962 and became a place of pilgrimage as well as a famous tourist destination in Hanoi that those who love nostalgia cannot ignore. .
Ancient architecture and contemplative space at Voi Phuc Temple
Voi Phuc Temple is located on a spacious piece of land facing the Southeast, right from afar, we were impressed with the large brick-paved road leading to the temple located by the blue lake and covered with many old trees. It is hundreds and thousands of years old with long roots that drop from above to form a unique curtain for the scenery of the temple.
The road to the temple courtyard has three entrances, the middle entrance has 12 wide stone steps that are only used for the procession of palanquins during the holidays, and the two entrances on either side are for traveling. In the middle of the courtyard right in front of the main entrance, a semicircular wall was built with two stone dragons carved with the meaning of “collecting water and bringing happiness” which means “requiring for water to be full”.
The architecture of the worshiping works in the Tay Tran Thang Long temple is built in the shape of the word Cong which is quite monumental. The roof of the temple is designed in the traditional style of ancient pagodas with the tail curved up to the sky like the head of a knife, the upper part is carved wide, with phoenix, unicorn, tiger and dragon pearl winding soft and delicate. crafty.
The main hall is arranged in the style of “foreign domestic and foreign affairs” with the main hall having these 5 compartments, the left is a drum, the right is a bronze bell, the center is a tablet, the throne is carved with dragons, flowers and leaves. the meticulousness of 19th-century art and the statue of Linh Lang in the deepest and highest position has a noble and upright face. This is the main place of worship of the temple, so it is always like a place of fragrant incense.
At the rear of the street, there are 5 compartments built entirely of sturdy, shiny ironwood, in front of the porch put a pair of stone mascots to protect the peace of the building, and inside is worshiping the mother of Linh Lang and Linh Lang. three Saints. Every place exudes spirituality and serenity.
In addition, Voi Phuc Temple in Hanoi also has statues of generals and soldiers, horizontal paintings, couplets in Chinese characters praising the merits and sacredness of the gods, and painted thrones and hammocks. splendid gilded lipstick and a giant bronze bell 93m high, 70cm in diameter, divided into 4 zones, each zone has an embossed kanji “Western town superior”, although it has been filled with ancient breath, it is still full of flavor. value brings an indelible impression to visitors.
Must-try experiences at Voi Phuc Temple
With a space full of nostalgia, Linh Lang Thu Le Temple is an ideal place to take pictures with an ancient style. And most of all, any corner here can be shown as beautiful as a movie, so you don’t have to pose too much, but in return, you have to choose your outfit carefully so that it is both suitable for the spiritual place and has a beautiful atmosphere. an impressive picture.
Accordingly, whether male or female, the traditional Ao Dai is also considered the best outfit, if you like the difference, you can wear the innovative Ao Dai, and if you want to show your beauty. of ancient Vietnamese women, the Nhat Binh costume is an extremely ideal choice. Revealing, this is also an ancient trend that many young people are using today.
In addition, Voi Phuc Temple – Tay Tran Thang Long also attracts visitors with a lively and joyful festival atmosphere on the 9th, 10th and 11th days of the 2nd lunar month every year. This is also the biggest festival of the year of the temple, with the outstanding activity being the procession of palanquins carrying fan flags, gongs, dragons, canopies connected in a long line with the Bat Am ward and the extremely bustling money slug team. on the road.
Moreover, on holidays, New Year, the full moon day or the 1st of every month, you can also come here to offer incense to pray for peace, health and fortune, because according to the concept of the people, Linh Lang is in the temple extremely. sacred has protected the peace of this place for thousands of years.
Revealing, right next to the temple yard, there is a long and curved stone bridge spanning to Thu Le Park, so if you have a small child with you, you can take your child to visit the interesting animal world and play many games. Interesting play in the park too.
It can be said that Voi Phuc Temple is not only a sacred place in Ha Thanh but also a bright spot in the spirit of preserving national cultural identity, the permanence of folk beliefs that all of us today and in the future. must always be preserved and protected.
Photo: Internet
