1 Where is Dong Cuong Mau Temple?
Dong Cuong Mau Temple is also known by the locals with other names such as Dong Temple, Dong Cuong Temple, Chua Nhi Thuong Ngan Temple, Dong Quang Linh from … The temple is located in Ben Den village, Dong Cuong commune, Van Yen district. , about 55 km northwest of Yen Bai city center.
Dong Cuong Mau Temple with a campus imbued with the spirit of Mother worship, sacred and quiet
The temple has a very beautiful feng shui position when it is built in a place where the landscape is charming, mountains and rivers, yin and yang are in harmony. This place and Suoi Tien Temple are two large temples famous for the long-standing sacredness of Yen Bai. The main temple of Mother De Nhi Thuong thousand represents the custom of worshiping Mother Tam Phu of the Vietnamese people, and there is also Chu De Nhi and the guardian deities of the country.
2 History of Dong Cuong Temple
According to the local people, this place was originally a small temple to worship the mountain god and the forest god. In the Le Dynasty, the temple became a communal house, and in the Nguyen Dynasty, it became a temple.
According to the management board of this relic site, Dong Cuong temple consists of four points: the main temple, the temple of Co, the temple of Uncle and the shrine of Duc Ong. In the temple, there is also a forbidden palace to worship two statues, the mother palace includes the royal palace and the right is the Son Trang palace.
The custom of worshiping the Mother is a long-standing belief of the Vietnamese people that is preserved and promoted by generations
Besides maintaining the custom of worshiping the Mother, this temple also worships heroes of ethnic minorities such as Ha Dich, Ha Chuong, Ha Bong… There are also generals of the Tran Dynasty who had merits in the past three years. heroic resistance war of the nation against the Yuan Mongols (from 1258 to 1288).
After a period of fierce war, the temple was severely damaged. Therefore, in 1995, the People’s Committee of Yen Bai province issued a decision to grant permission for local people to build a new Dong Cuong temple right on the remaining foundation of the old temple. To this day, Dong Cuong Mau Temple has become a temple with special architecture and attracts a lot of tourists.
Dong Cuong Temple has become the most famous temple in Yen Bai land
In 2000, Dong Cuong Temple was recognized as a provincial historical and cultural relic. 9 years later, on January 22, 2009, the temple was recognized by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism as a national historical – cultural relic, becoming a highlight of Yen Bai spiritual tourism. .
3 Special architecture at Dong Cuong Mau Temple
Right from afar, you can see Dong Cuong Temple with an ancient Da bridge with a lifespan of up to 800 years. The architecture is typical of the temples of the Ly Tran Dynasty with a typical nail-shaped structure. The temple consists of two courts, a great cult and a forbidden harem behind. Currently, in the harem, there are still two bronze statues of very large size, a model statue and a statue of Hoang Bao. And inside the space of the front hall, there are four altars covering the temple and many relics of great historical value. The altars include the Court of the Five Emperors of Tien Ong, Phu Son Trang, Ban Tran Dynasty and the Congregation Court.
Many tourists choose to visit Dong Cuong Temple to offer incense to Mother Mother
The design of the temple roof has a curved shape similar to that of a Japanese dragon. The temple columns are made of wooden materials, painted with gilded vermilion and decorated with dignified scrolling dragons. Every detail is meticulously and delicately carved, showing the respect and belief of Mother Goddess worship.
The inside of the temple is decorated with many sophisticated and traditional details
Up to now, the pagoda has undergone many renovations, but still retains this traditional architecture, imbued with artistic, historical and cultural values. The campus is expanded with many shady trees, planted with many kinds of old trees. Dotted next to the Dong Cuong Mau Temple are the patches of peach and plum forests when in full bloom, the more fragrant they are. The temple faces to the south with the terrain like a river like a mountain, and the natural scenery is extremely charming like a beautiful ink painting.
Overwhelmed by the space inside the temple, extremely eye-catching and sophisticated
4 Festivals and beliefs at Dong Cuong Mau Temple
Because the structure of the temple campus includes both the shrine of the gods and the cave, over the long history, this place still retains the typical national identity and traditional customs of the Mother Goddess worship. life.
Tourists come here every major holiday of the year
According to folklore researchers, Dong Cuong Temple is the cradle of origin and represents the belief in Mother Goddess worship in the Vietnamese mother worship system. According to local custom, every year from the first lunar month to the third lunar month and at the end of the year, the mother-worshiping towns from all over the country gather here to celebrate the Mother Goddess ceremony. the custom of “Northern the chair to serve the Saint”.
Typical rituals in Mother Goddess worship
Due to the unique features of this religious activity, Dong Cuong Mau Temple has become a famous spiritual tourist destination, attracting a large number of tourists. Every year, in addition to the saints who worship the Mother Goddess, there are hundreds of thousands of tourists coming here to offer incense to the Mother, at the same time visit the temple, learn more about the customs and beliefs of the people here.
The festival is held on a large scale, attracting a large number of locals and tourists
When coming to Dong Cuong Mau Temple, to show their sincerity, many tourists want to arrange a ceremony to offer. Therefore, MIA.vn will guide you through the basic rituals, in accordance with the beliefs of Mother Goddesses:
For the vegetarian ceremony, you need to prepare a full range of flowers, tea, fruit, food, etc. to worship at the Buddha, Bodhisattva and Holy Mother altar.
If you want to offer a salty ceremony, you can only choose vegetarian offerings with pictures of chicken, pig, pork leg, spring roll… symbolic because according to the beliefs here, when you should be vegetarian, you will show more sincerity.
Offering incense to Mother brings the wishes and hopes of the people
Source: Collected internet.