Located on a high mound in the place of the Eagle Sea (now known as Thai Binh estuary), Choi Temple, also known as Dinh Temple, Tam To Temple (Thuy Truong Commune), is known as a sacred place for a long time. many tourists inside and outside the province visit.
This is also one of the works in the national-level historical relic cluster: Choi temple-Ben pagoda-Chi Bo pagoda, which was recognized by the Ministry of Culture and Information in 1989, thanks to preserving many historical values. culture and has a very unique architectural scale.
Legend has it that during the reign of Hung Vuong in Son Tay, Khoai Chau, and Xich Dang, there were two husbands and wives, Tran Ky and Dao Thi Rieu, who lived with virtue, or did good deeds, but in old age still had no children. The couple decided to spread their inheritance, buy gifts to many temples and shrines to pray for themselves, and at the same time build two shrines to worship Emperor Thich Pham Vuong and Diem La Thien Tu to pray day and night. One night, Mrs. Dao Thi Rieu dreamed that there were two people with white beards and white hair, wearing cypress hats holding two children standing in front of the house, calling and saying: I serve Hoang Thien for your family two good children, you They had to take good care of them. After saying that, the two of them gave the two children to her and then flew up to the sky. Mrs. Dao Thi Rieu happily welcomed the two children, then she woke up and realized that she was dreaming. From that day on, she became pregnant and gave birth to two sons with a picture-perfect appearance.
When two Cong were 14 years old, Khoai Chau government encountered a natural disaster, the people were starving, thieves and robbers raged, the whole family had to get on a boat to the South and settle down in Thai Ninh government, Thuy Anh district, Chi Bo area (belonging to Binh Bo district). Thuy Truong commune today). Dien Cong and Dong Cong were found by their parents to be a teacher. They were naturally intelligent, so only a few years later they were both proficient in martial arts. One day, Dien Cong and Dong Cong dreamed that two gods, Emperor Thich Pham Vuong and Diem La Thien Tu, appeared and said: In 3 months, there will be epidemic epidemics, people will get sick and die a lot. Take a white paper to save when the disease breaks out, then perform a ceremony and use that white paper to burn and mix with clean water for the sick person to drink, the accident will be over. Sure enough, 3 months later, people everywhere were plagued with disease, and the two men did as God told them to, and everyone was cured.
At the same time, there were enemies of the Xich Tuy ethnic group who started their army in the East Sea, killing good people, the court sent many good generals to bring troops to defeat the enemy, but they were unsuccessful. After the king hung a sign to recruit talented men, two brothers, Dien Cong and Dong Cong, entered the capital. Seeing that the two men had a majestic appearance, the king immediately conferred a general and assigned troops to defeat the enemy to save the country. With the help of Emperor Thich and Diem La, the two Cong defeated the fierce enemy and returned home. The king happily rewarded gold, silver, silk, and food for the Tran family in Thuy Anh area. After that, the two Cong returned to Chi Bo area to set up a palace to live, leisurely and happily with the people every day. One day, the sky and earth were bright and suddenly darkened, dark clouds gathered, the Second Great King was sitting without illness but died by himself. The king heard the news with great pity,
During the resistance war against the Yuan Mongols in the 13th century, Choi Temple was the garrison of the Tran army, one of the guard posts of the defensive fortification system on both sides of the Hoa River. Also at this location, two important historical events took place: in 1285, on the way to withdraw from the enemy’s pursuit, King Tran passed here to rest, the local people helped the mandarins to do many things. Boats floated on the sea to deceive the enemy and help the king enter Thanh Hoa safely.
During the 3rd resistance war against the Yuan Mongols in 1288, the Tran army and local people participated in defeating the army of O Ma Nhi to pick up Truong Van Ho’s salary boat at the mouth of the Eagle Sea. The custom of swimming and releasing the dragon boat into the sea during the Choi temple festival today also reflects that historical event. In the application file for recognition of Choi Temple as a national historical relic, it was affirmed: “After 700 years in a place where the waves are up and down, traces of fortresses on the ground are gone, but legends and memories remain. The folklore related to the Choi temple as well as the glorious battles of the army and people of the Tran dynasty at the Dai Bang estuary are still recorded through the genealogies, of the communal house and neighboring temples. Currently, around the high mound area of this temple, there are still many traces of the water well system of the Tran Dynasty.
In the years 1958-1960 when building dikes and encroaching on the sea, people also discovered many artifacts such as boat boards, swords and spears, human bones, proving that this land was one of the battles of the Eagle that used signed signed”. In the years 1927-1954, Choi Temple was the place to spread Marxism-Leninism to young people in the Thuy Anh sea area and was the place to station the guerrillas, the main army during the resistance war against the French. Experiencing many times of restoration and embellishment, the current Choi temple is a relatively large-scale and superficial work, with architectural styles of the Le dynasties interwoven with the Nguyen dynasties. The most unique feature of the temple is that it is located on a sand dune 4 to 5 m high above the surrounding field surface and is located right in front of the sea mouth, symbolizing sustainability and prosperity.
From the outside to the inside, Choi Temple is a complex of relics created by works: temple gate, two rows of tea houses, pre-consecration palace, the second palace, harem palace ….made and identical The temple was built in 1907 and 1941. The interior is decorated, elaborately sculpted, with many delicate carvings in the Le Dynasty style with high artistic value. In particular, in the temple, there are still many precious objects of worship, sacrifices, bowls, incense, 17 ordinations of kings. Over the years, thanks to the merits of local people, children far from home, and tourists from all over the world, Thuy Truong commune has invested more than 1 billion dong to repair and upgrade many construction items of the Choi temple relic site. .
The main festival of Choi Temple is opened on the 2nd day of the 7th lunar month every year. The main factor: being a temple to worship gods associated with mysterious and true stories about the gods has made Choi Temple an attractive cultural and spiritual tourist destination. According to the elders, this temple is very sacred, before the opening day and after the closing day of the temple festival, there are very heavy showers. On the occasion of the festival, thousands of tourists from all over the country come to offer incense and sacrifice, learn about the cultural and historical values of the temple. During the festival, the local government also organizes cultural activities, arts, sports, folk games to create a joyful and exciting atmosphere for people to participate, increasing the solidarity of the village. .
Mr. Do Duc Nam, Vice Chairman of Thuy Truong Commune People’s Committee said that Choi temple festival is now held very solemnly and respectfully, not only the festival of Thuy Truong people but also many people in the coastal area. pay tribute to the gods and generals who have fought against the enemy to save the country, save the people and educate the young generation of patriotism today and in the future. In the coming time, Thuy Truong will mobilize more resources from local people, children living far away from home, and tourists from all over the world, and at the same time, she also wants the State to support more funding to repair and upgrade construction items. expanding the temple grounds to match a work of great historical and cultural significance. Along with that, the commune will exploit the strengths of the coastal area, where there are more than 1,300 hectares of mangrove forests to turn Thuy Truong into an eco-tourism destination.
Source: Collected internet.