Tuyen Quang is a land rich in revolutionary traditions and a place deeply engraved with the image of President Ho Chi Minh and many important historical events of the nation during the August Revolution and the war against the French colonialists. . Coming to Tuyen Quang, tourists can not only admire the beautiful natural scenery but also understand more about the cultural values, about the historical traditions of a revolutionary countryside through historical – cultural relics, the artistic architecture, enjoy cultural activities with its own nuances. Among them are the ancient architectural works, which have both high value in architectural art and cultural and spiritual value; value from the sacredness of the Mother Goddess religion – a beauty in the religious culture of the Vietnamese people.
The Mother Dao is the leading indigenous belief of the ethnic groups in Vietnam, of which “The practice of worshiping the Mother Goddess of the Three Palaces of the Vietnamese people” has just been honored by UNESCO as a valuable intangible cultural heritage of humanity. This heritage is unique because this heritage is associated with the spiritual life and cultural customs of the people, which is respected and handed down by the community for thousands of generations. The belief in Mother Goddess worship in Tuyen Quang dates back to very early times, formed around the beginning of the 17th century and flourished in the 18th century, this place is also said to be the birthplace of the third mother (Mieu Thoai), the governing deity. river area.
From Tuyen Quang bus station, follow Binh Thuan street across Nong Tien bridge about 500 m, turn left along Highway 2C, you will stop at Trang Da commune, where is located the most sacred Mother Goddess temple in Tuyen. A peaceful, rich landscape appears before our eyes…
Thuong Temple is located at the foot of Dom mountain, leaning on one side of the mountain, below is the lyrical Lo river drifting, winding from right to left, embracing the temple to create a lyrical, peaceful and sacred scene. .
The Upper Temple used to have the following names: Sam Son Temple (or Tinh Huc Temple). This is the name under the Nguyen Dynasty, because at that time, Mount Dum was called Sam Son mountain in Vien Lam village, Tinh Huc commune, Binh Ca canton, Ham Yen district, Yen Binh province (Tuyen Quang). In the people, there is a saying: “Ghenh waterfall, Lower Cha bridge” – that is, on Ghenh waterfall, there is Thuong temple, below Cha bridge, there is Ha temple. The name Thuong temple is called by the people to this day.
Thuong Temple is an ancient temple with a long history (the earliest ordained in 1743) dating back to the same time as the Lower Temple – the temple of two goddesses closely related to each other. When the belief in Mother Goddess development in the folk developed, people brought Mother Thuong Thien and Mau Thoai together with the system of statues of Ngoc Hoang, Long Vuong, and Quan Hoang to worship.
Legend has it that, in the past, there were two princesses of King Hung, Ngoc Lan (ie Princess Mai Hoa) and Princess Phuong Dung (ie Princess Quynh Hoa) going from far away to check out the locality where they parked their boats on the riverbank. On the night of the storm, the two princesses flew up to the sky, which is considered a miracle, and built a temple to worship. The place where the boat stopped was built into the Ha temple. Later, when there was a war, people brought statues of princesses evacuated to Ỷ La. After the war was over, the people restored the Ha temple, and at the same time at the evacuation place the princess statue was built into the Ỷ La temple. The Upper Temple was born after the Lower Temple and Ỷ La Temple.
According to folk beliefs, the two princesses are the embodiment of the daughter of the Dragon King. The Upper Temple worships the princess Ngoc Lan and the Lower Temple worships the princess Phuong Dung, who is honored as Mother Thoai because of the ordination of the ancient feudal state.
Thuong Temple is an architectural work of an ancient religion, with many relics and artifacts made of different materials. At present, the temple still contains many ancient Han Nom documents and bibliography such as: diaphragm, couplets, ordination… Thuong Temple is a very valuable relic in the study of culture, history, and beliefs. admire and is an attractive place to attract tourists from all over the world to admire the power of the temple. In 2015, Thuong Temple was ranked as a national historical and cultural relic by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism.
Festival of 3 Temples
Mau Thuong Temple together with Ha Temple, Ỷ La Temple form a cluster of relics worshiping two princesses of King Hung, Phuong Dung Princess and Ngoc Lan Princess in Tuyen Quang city. Therefore, the festival part of the year of the 3 temples is related to each other.
Trong năm, tại đền Thượng thường tổ chức các ngày lễ lớn như: Lễ khai bút vào ngày 2 tháng Giêng âm lịch (ngày mở cửa đền); Lễ Thượng nguyên vào ngày 10 tháng Giêng âm lịch (lễ giải hạn cho dân); Lễ cầu mưa từ ngày 8 đến ngày 10 tháng 4 âm lịch; Lễ mừng sinh nhật các Mẫu và các vị quan Hoàng vào các tháng 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10. Đặc biệt, trước đây trong tháng 2 và tháng 7 âm lịch có hội rước Mẫu. Đây là lễ hội lớn nhất trong năm và là dịp để nhân dân thể hiện các nghi thức diễn xướng.
Mother procession festival of Lower Temple, Upper Temple, Ỷ La Temple was born and existed for a long time, associated with the belief of Mother Goddess worship at three temples of Lower Temple, Upper Temple and Ỷ La Temple. Currently, the Mother procession in Tuyen Quang city has been restored and is held on the 12th day of the second lunar month – the Mother procession from Ỷ La temple and Thuong temple to the palace at Ha temple (the two princesses meet each other). ) and on January 16, the palace was completed with many unique and attractive activities. The ceremony includes the procession of the Mother’s palanquin and the sacrifice ceremony. The procession of the Mother’s palanquin starts from the Mau Ỷ La Temple to the Lower Temple, followed by the procession of the Mother’s palanquin from the Upper Temple across the river to the Lower Temple to worship together.
The festival was organized with many interesting activities such as: Sports competition, folk games (Tuck tug, stick push, chess, air volleyball, pot smashing, sack jumping, cock fighting, etc.) ) and exchange activities, introducing the culture and beliefs of Mother Goddess worship such as: Introduction of costumes (towels) in the practice of worshiping Mother Goddesses of the Tam Phu; performing folk chorus (practice of the dong) combined with musical performance (singing literature).
In recent years, Mau Thuong Temple is a spiritual and religious highlight of many people and tourists from all over the world in the journey of cultural and spiritual tourism, remembering the roots. Every year, tens of thousands of tourists from all over the country make pilgrimages to the temple to offer incense to the Mother, visit the temple and pray for the peace of the nation and the people. life.
On January 23, 2017, the Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism issued Decision No. 217/QD-BVHTTDL to put the Mausoleum Procession Festival in the Lower Temple, Upper Temple, and Ỷ La Temple (Tuyen Quang City) on the list. national intangible cultural heritage.