Located on Mount Sai – one of the 7 sacred mountains of That Dieu Son range, Sai Temple (Thuy Loi village, Thuy Lam commune, Dong Anh district, Hanoi) is the place to worship Saint Huyen Thien Tran Vu – one of the four gods. defending Thang Long, who had merit in helping King An Duong Vuong destroy Bach Ke Tinh to build Co Loa citadel.
According to legend, after moving the capital to Thang Long, King Ly Cong Uan came here to ask for a procession of the saint Huyen Thien Tran Vu and set up a temple to worship him in Thang Long citadel, named Quan Thanh temple – one of “Thang Long”. Long quartet town”.
On both sides of the courtyard in front of Sai temple are two circular ponds, called Tien pond. Stepping through 15 stone steps, visitors will come to a ritual consisting of 5 doors: In the middle are 3 main gates, wide, built in the style of a 2-storey match stack, 8 roofs; On both sides are 4 pillars. Two side gates on either side are small, covered with roofs and 2 small pillars.
Passing the subject is to go to the steeple 2 floors high, built in the style of a stack of matches, 8 roofs. This work was restored in 1989. Upstairs hangs a bell cast during the reign of King Thanh Thai (Nguyen Dynasty, reigned from 1889 to 1907). Next is the Kinh Thien building, in the middle there is a stele “Huyen Thien Dao Quan” dated 22nd Chinh Hoa, Tan Ty year (1701). The four sides of the stele are engraved with words, praising the beauty of the Sai mountain region, the history and merits of Saint Huyen Thien Tran Vu.
Behind the Celestial Hall is the synagogue and the main hall. The main hall has a floor plan with the font “Cong”, including the front hall, burning incense and harem. The forecourt has been rebuilt according to the ancient architecture. The harem is a work preserved almost intact with floor tiles from the Le Dynasty, in the middle is a statue of Huyen Thien Tran Vu made of earth, painted with gilded lacquer, with a height of 2.25m, a diameter of 0.9m. . In the temple, there are still many relics and worshiping objects dating from the 17th – 18th centuries. Behind the temple is Sai pagoda, forming a worshiping complex in the style of “before god, after buddha”.
In addition to the unique architectural features, Sai Temple is also known for the fake king procession festival (January 11 every year) and unique traditional customs that have been preserved and kept to this day.
Valuable in many ways, Sai Temple was ranked as a national historical, artistic and architectural relic in 1986.
Source: Collected internet.