Mother Temple, Second Street: A provincial-level historical and cultural relic

The Mother Temple, Second Street, now located in Le Hong Phong Ward, is one of the temples in the Van Huong worship complex, worshiping the Three Holy Mothers: Princess Lieu Hanh, Lady Quynh Cung Duy Tien, and Lady Quang Cung Que Anh. On June 9, 2020, the Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee of Thai Binh signed a decision to rank the Mother Temple as a provincial-level historical and cultural relic.

In the Vietnamese pantheon, Saint Mother Lieu Hanh is one of the Four Immortals, the saint of the Four Palaces belief system, essentially the worship of Mother, a belief with deep roots and uniqueness in Vietnam. According to folklore, Mother is the second daughter of the Jade Emperor, who descended to earth three times, each time taking on a different female identity. The Three Holy Mothers of Van Huong are the three incarnations of Saint Mother Lieu Hanh. Mother has been honored by feudal dynasties from the time of the Later Le Dynasty to the Nguyen Dynasty with many titles, reverently called "Mother ruling the world," "Che Thang Hoa Dieu Great Princess," and "Golden Horse Princess." The temple was solidly built in the second Bao Dai year, 1926. The temple is located on Second Street, now Tran Hung Dao Street, in a very spacious compound, with the temple yard containing two large ancient trees. The worship area includes a five-bay Bai Duong hall and a three-bay Hau Cung hall. On the right side of the temple, there is another auxiliary structure consisting of three bays. The temple has historically been a spiritual gathering place for the ancient residents of Thai Binh town.

During the resistance against the United States, the Mother Temple located in the Tran Phu area was the most heavily damaged area of the city. This area contained Bo Bridge, a vital bridge on National Highway 10 connecting Hai Phong, Thai Binh, Nam Dinh, and southern provinces, becoming a focal point of intense American attacks. Therefore, the Mother Temple also suffered significant impacts. In 1977, the temple was dismantled, and all statues and worship items were moved to Bồ Xuyên Pagoda for worship. Subsequently, the land of the Mother Temple was used to build schools and government offices. All the ancient and venerable structures were left with only the horse-mounted statue gate as the entrance to the temple. More than 10 years ago, the shrine of the Holy Mother was erected behind this horse-mounted statue gate, on the very ground of the old Mother Temple courtyard paved with Bat Trang bricks. In 2019, with the consent of the authorities at all levels, businesses, and the people, efforts were made to restore the Mother Temple to its grandeur. In front of the temple gate is still the ancient horse-mounted statue gate with verses praising the merits of Saint Mother Lieu Hanh. Mr. Doan Cong Nhien, the temple's caretaker, said: Worshiping the Holy Mother Lieu Hanh or other goddesses is nothing but an expression of gratitude to the divine beings, cultural celebrities of the nation, so that each of us hopes and prays for protection, shelter, and blessings. That is the spirit of "Remembering the source when drinking water," self-discipline to cultivate morality. Understanding the full meaning, in recent times, the Party Committee, the People's Committee, as well as the people of Le Hong Phong Ward, through specific actions, have mobilized the people in the ward, visitors near and far, to contribute efforts, offerings, and honor the relic of the Mother Temple to fulfill the wishes and beliefs entrusted to the Supreme Being.

The temple is built in the nail-shaped style, with front and side corridors, and a spacious veranda. The height of the veranda compared to the ground is about 1 meter, with five-level stairs leading up to the veranda from the front and sides. This design makes the temple a sacred space rising amid a magnificent flower terrace. The entire wooden frame of the temple architecture is made entirely of finely carved ironwood, with delicate and graceful leaf patterns. On the left side of the temple is the View Scene floor, where one can admire the architecture of the temple dedicated to the Holy Mother, observe the grandeur of the Three-door Honor System, and admire the overall scenery of the temple.

Since the completion of the temple, Mrs. Le Thi Binh from Ward 6, Le Hong Phong Ward, has been present twice a day, morning and evening, regularly to assist in cleaning and arranging the offerings. She shares: Being recognized as a provincial-level historical and cultural relic, the Mother Temple of Le Hong Phong Ward is a source of pride for the officials and people of Le Hong Phong Ward. This is also a responsibility for each of us to self-examine, cultivate, and foster morality to become useful citizens for our families and for society. To contribute to the protection and promotion of the value of the heritage.

The collective efforts of the community have helped to rebuild the temple to its magnificent appearance as depicted in the ancient verses on the horse-mounted statue gate that the ancients carved to praise: "Beautiful and sacred scenery perpetuates on Ky Bo land - The towering temple stands amidst the Thái Bình sky." Mr. Nguyen Ngoc Phat, Secretary of Party Cell 6 of Le Hong Phong Ward, shares: The relic is located in the area of the residential group 6. We recognize that historical and cultural relics are extremely valuable assets left by our ancestors for future generations. It affirms the existence and development of a village, a community of people. Therefore, our responsibility is to disseminate, educate, and promote the historical and cultural values of the Mother Temple. To enhance the awareness and responsibility of the officials and residents of the residential area in preserving and promoting the values of traditional cultural heritage. To create motivation for movements in the residential area, contributing to the achievement of economic, cultural, and social development goals of Le Hong Phong Ward. And the historical and cultural relic of the Mother Temple is well managed, protected, and effectively promoted in value by the government and people of the city in general, and Le Hong Phong Ward in particular, to make the temple a meaningful discovery and pilgrimage destination for local residents and visitors from afar.

Source: https://thanhpho.thaibinh.gov.vn/.../den-mau-pho-de-nhi...
https://tuoitrethudo.com.vn/tai-hien-nhieu-nghi-thuc...
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