Including 106 monuments which have been ranked national and city level. Referring to the famous monuments of Ba Vi district, people immediately remember the names: Tay Dang, Thanh Lung, Thuy Phieu, Dong Vien, or Tan mountain, Da river, Thuong temple, Ha temple, Trung temple, etc. In which there are 3 oldest communal houses in Vietnam, built in the 16th century, namely Tay Dang, Thuy Phieu and Thanh Lung.
Tay Dang communal house has been ranked as a special national historical relic according to Decision No. 2383/QD-TTg, dated December 9, 2013, approved by the Prime Minister. Tay Dang communal house is unique in carvings, decorations, which are saved on its columns, trusses, beams, seals, wind leaves. According to statistics, Tay Dang communal house has 1,300 engraved motifs with 1,300 different expressions, from the motifs of the four-corner jumper, the one that is right for the main, to the front ends, the upper beam, the piles of the dragon, bowl of support, the first sentence, the riddle, etc. Through each sculpture scene, the artist has expressed the wishes of the people from the past to the present: Hope for the nation’s peace and good crops.
Thuong temple – Ba Vi
Mentioning Ba Vi is referring to the image of Tan mountain, a magnificent and sacred mountain associated with the legend of Son Tinh – the first spirit of god in the mind of the Vietnamese people. Ba Vi district has 75 places of worshipping Tan Vien Son Thanh, most concentrated in the mountain area of Tan mountain, Da river – where is considered the site of the legend of Son Tinh. Tan Vien Son Thanh festival is held throughout the Doai region, Ba Vi. Especially in the vestige of Thuong temple – Trung temple – Ha temple in the territory of two communes including Minh Quang and Ba Vi. Thuong Temple is also known as the Palace of the Temple. According to legend and generation line, Thuong Temple dates back to An Duong Vuong period. The temple has a unique location and architecture, an exposed roof tiled and an underground roof under a large rock located at an altitude of 1,227m on the side of Ba Vi mountain. Trung Temple, also known as Trung palace, is located in the middle of Ba Vi mountain. It is to worship Ma Thi Cao Son, the god in charge of Tan Vien mountain, and also the adoptive mother of Duc Thanh Tan. Ha Temple, also known as Tay palace, is located at the foot of Tan mountain, on the banks of the Da River.
With a dense system of historical and cultural relics, communal houses, temples, not to mention such churches, Ba Vi is the place to preserve many cultural and historical values of the capital and the country. In recent years, with the attention and support of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, the People’s Committee of Hanoi City, Ba Vi district has made great efforts in preserving, embellishing and promoting the value of monuments on the site in the region. 44 historical relics have been restored and embellished with many sources of capital in recent years, such as the project of restoring and embellishing Co Do communal relics with a total investment of over VND 21.5 billion; Project on rehabilitation and embellishment of Dong Bang communal house, with a total estimate of nearly VND 15 billion; Dong Vien communal house project has a total investment approved over VND 29.9 billion. The projects implemented with socialized capital are Nghi Mon four-pillar Ha temple and some items at Thuong temple relic. In addition, the People’s Committee of Ba Vi District has allocated VND 6 billion for the prevention of degradation of 8 degraded historical relics in the locality.
Water procession, incense offering of Duc Thanh Tan
According to the leaders of Ba Vi district, over the past years, the communication, management, conservation and promotion of cultural heritages have been concerned with leadership by the Party committees, authorities, departments, and unions; also, supported by the people and contributed by their efforts, well-implemented the socialization in conservation and promotion of historical relic values.
To promote the value of the monuments in the district, over the years, Ba Vi has successfully restored the Tan Vien Son Thanh festival, held on 15 January (lunar calendar) at the relic cluster of Thuong Temple – Trung Temple – Ha Temple. Each festival has attracted tens of thousands of local people and visitors to attend. Since 2018, the Tan Vien Son Thanh Worship in Ba Vi has been recognized by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism as a National Intangible Cultural Heritage. Ba Vi District People’s Committee also coordinates with the Hanoi Monument Management Board to conduct an inventory of monuments in the district. Accordingly, the district owns 394 relics in which 106 ranked relics. Over the past few years, the People’s Committee of Ba Vi district has asked the Department of Culture and Sports to make an extract of 12 relics including Dong Bang pagoda, Dong Thai commune, Vu temple in Vat Lai commune, Ngach pagoda, Tien Phong commune, communal house – pagoda of La Xuyen village, commune Van Thang, communal house – North village, East hamlet, Tay Dang town, etc.
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Quynh Anh