Ỷ La Temple is located in Ỷ La ward, Tuyen Quang city. The temple was built in 1743, the 4th year of the Canh Hung era and was restored in the early 19th century. According to legend, Ha temple worships princess Phuong Dung due to the severe burning of the temple soldiers, the residents had to carry the idol to Ỷ La village to take refuge. 1817 – The 3rd year of Khai Dinh started rebuilding the Lower Temple on the old site but on a larger scale. At that time, at the place of the refuge god statue, the villagers of La also built the Mau Ỷ La temple to worship Princess Phuong Dung, (who is considered the incarnation of Holy Mother Thuong Thien) along with the gods in the faith. worshiping Vietnamese Mother Goddesses; is the creative product of the indigenous culture, which has strong pervasive power among the working people.
Mother Thuong Thien is a legendary figure, legend has it that: She was originally the Second Fairy Queen Quynh Nuong in the fairy palace because she made a very small mistake of chipping a jade cup, so she was banished to the mundane world. was born into a Le family in Phu Giay. When he was born, his parents named him Christmas. At the age of 18, Christmas Fairy got married, her husband was Dao Lang and gave birth to two children, a son and a daughter. In the midst of the burning incense, the time to go into exile expired, but Giang Tien had to go to heaven even though she didn’t want to. Because she missed her husband and children, she often frowned and shed tears. The fairies were moved to report to God. He made her Princess Lieu Hanh and sent her down to the world. This time, she returned to her hometown to visit her birth parents, and went to the capital to visit her husband and children. She advised her husband on the way to cultivate a close family, live together for one night, then break up, and see each other in the next life. Like clouds floating on the sky, She doesn’t stay in one place. Sometimes she pretended to be a beautiful girl blowing pepper under the moon, sometimes she turned into an old woman like a bamboo stick on the side of the road. Those who use jokes will be punished, those who bring prayers to the island will be blessed. The gifts that people offered, she brought back for her parents to use. When the parents died and the children were grown up, in the hearts of the fairy lords “no longer attached to anything”, from then on, they traveled around the world, looking for scenic places, pretending to be mountain scenes. Then, when the due date came, she had to return to heaven. At the royal court, she remembered her three-year-old fate, and immediately asked the Jade Emperor to be born again for “incalculable biochemical satisfaction, to travel as you like”. With the permission of the Jade Emperor, she and two maids descended to the ceiling. Here, the fairy god often manifests people to help good people be blessed and punish the wicked. Seeing this, the people of that region were afraid,
During the reign of King Canh Thinh, the court heard rumors that it was a demon, and sent military soldiers and wizards to destroy it, and in a moment the temple turned into smoke. But after a while, that area was plagued with diseases for humans and livestock. The people there panicked and set up a bridge to pray for the island. Suddenly, she jumped up from the crowd on the three-story harp and shouted: “I am a fairy in heaven, sanctified to earth, you must ask the court for permission to rebuild a new temple, I will remove the ears.. .” The people followed the instructions together to the door to beg. The court considered it sacred and strange, and immediately ordered the rebuilding of a new temple and ordained it as Princess Ma. Later, when the imperial army went to fight foreign invaders, the fairy god often appeared to support them. Remembering his merits, the court gave a gift of Che Thang Hoa Dieu Dai Vuong,
For generations, the Mau Ỷ La temple has been associated with the history of Tuyen Quang land and is the place of spiritual and cultural activities of the people of Tuyen citadel. Over the generations, Mausoleum La has met and satisfied the spiritual needs of the people in the highlands, expressing the lifelong aspirations of the inhabitants of wet rice farming thanks to the supernatural power of the Holy Mother. for a peaceful life, with favorable rain and wind, and a bountiful harvest in peace.
The temple represents a deeply humane value and has a good tradition in the behavior of Vietnamese people in general and the inhabitants of Tuyen citadel in particular, which is the principle of “drinking water, remembering the source”. At present, the temple still contains many ancient Han Nom documents and bibliography such as: horizontal phoenix, couplets, ordination… These are very valuable historical documents, thereby helping us to recognize the history and names. the name of the land, the cultural features of the locality through the long history of the nation.
The Mother Temple Ỷ La is an architectural work of an ancient belief – a cultural institution bearing the imprint of the artistic style of the Nguyen Dynasty. With many relics and artifacts made of different materials, the lines, blocks and colors have a typical artistic style of a historical period, showing talented hands and creative aesthetics. of folk artists. Therefore, Mau La Temple is like a living art museum, thereby helping ancient art researchers to have more materials to learn the art style of Vietnamese feudal dynasties in the land. from Tuyen.
The temple is located on a charming landscape with ancient green trees of 4 lush seasons, creating interesting shapes, stimulating the imagination of visitors, where people will enjoy the fresh air. healthy and relaxed feeling and is a place where the harmony between the natural scenery and the human hands of the highland region is harmoniously combined. Therefore, the present and future Mau Ỷ La Temple will be a cultural address attracting tourists inside and outside the province.
Since its construction until now, through many historical changes and the impact of natural conditions, the original architecture of the temple has been changed a lot. Through generations of people here with admiration and respect, they have always strengthened, restored and embellished the Mau Ỷ La temple to become more spacious, clean and beautiful to satisfy the spiritual needs of the people and the relics. still well preserved and well-kept.
With unique cultural and historical values, on June 29, 2015, the Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism decided to rank the national monument of Ỷ La Temple. On March 18, 2016, under the authorization of the Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism, Mr. Vice Chairman of the Provincial People’s Committee Nguyen Hai Anh awarded the National Relic Recognition Certificate of La Temple to Mr. representatives of the People’s Committee of Tuyen Quang city.
As in other Mother Goddess temples, every year there are many festivals held at the temple:
The 2nd day of the first month is the day of the feast of the Mother of God.
The 10th day of January is Thuong Nguyen festival (which is a holiday for the people).
On April 10, there is a festival in the summer to pray for coolness for the people.
July 15 is Vu Lan festival.
August 20th is the death anniversary of Saint Tran…
There are also a number of important festivals of Buddhism, Taoism, and other Mother-worshipping religions.
It can be said that Mother Goddess La Temple is a cultural and religious institution, a mixture of many indigenous beliefs of the Vietnamese people. There, people show respect and admiration for the gods, demonstrating the good tradition and ethics of “drinking water, remember the source” imbued with the national nature of people in the countryside. .
Source: Collected internet.