Nine Wells Temple - National historical relic before the holiday

1. Nine Wells Temple - National historical relic before the holiday

Nine Wells Temple, also known as Co Chin Temple, on the days close to the festival, in the space filled with incense and incense smoke, besides performing religious activities to pray for a happy and peaceful life, visitors will admire the beauty of the autumn scenery here because this temple has a mountain behind it and Song stream flowing through in front, bringing a feeling of both relaxation and peace.

2. Location and History of Nine Wells Temple

Chin Gieng Temple is about 1km east of Song Son Temple, formerly in Phu Duong village, Co Dam commune, Tong Son district, Ha Trung prefecture; now in quarter 5, Bac Son ward, Bim Son town, Thanh Hoa province. The temple worships Cuu Thien Huyen Nu (ninth daughter of the Jade Emperor), one of the famous and sacred Four Palaces Holy Ladies. The name of the temple comes from the 9 sacred wells that flow water all year round. Local people say that the 9 sacred wells are where Co Chin resides and surrounding the 9 sacred wells are mysterious stories.

3. The legendary story of the Nine Wells Temple

According to legend, during the battle between Tien Quan Thanh and Lord Lieu Hanh at Song Son, Lord Lieu Hanh was in trouble, transformed into a dragon and hid in the place where Cuu Thien Huyen Nu was residing, which were 9 sacred wells. Lord Lieu Hanh was protected by the magic of Princess Cuu Thien; with the help of Bodhisattva Quan Am, Lord Lieu Hanh escaped the net of Tien Quan Thanh. Grateful for the compassion of Bodhisattva Quan Am, Lord Lieu Hanh took refuge in Buddha and the kindness of Cuu Thien Huyen Nu, Lord Lieu Hanh became sworn sisters with Cuu Thien Huyen Nu.

4. The formation of the temple and the restoration process

To remember and show gratitude to Cuu Thien Huyen Nu for her merit in saving Lord Lieu Hanh, during the Canh Hung period, under the reign of King Le Hien Tong (1740-1786), the people built a temple right next to the 9 sacred wells; in 1939 the temple was renovated; in 1993 the temple was recognized as a National Historical and Cultural Relic by the Ministry of Culture and Information (now the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism); in 2004 the temple continued to be restored and embellished.

5. Architecture and aesthetics of Nine Wells Temple

The Nine Wells Temple is not a very large temple, but the temple landscape is planned and constructed reasonably, with many trees. The temple is designed similar to temples from ancient times, with red-orange tiled roofs and typical patterns and motifs, imbued with the spiritual cultural identity of the nation. In front of the temple are four large stone pillars, seemingly opening the Tam Quan gate for visitors to pass through. Through the gate, stepping on high stone steps, visitors will reach the Outer Palace - a seven-room house; the Middle Palace has five rooms; the Inner Palace has three rooms. The temple is decorated with many horizontal lacquered boards and parallel sentences praising the temple landscape and the Saint of Nine Wells, typically: "The Saint's virtue is high and bright, leaving the country's history/The God's merit is wide and helping the people"...

6. Beliefs and culture at Nine Wells Temple

According to the book “Geography of Bim Son”, the worshiping belief at Chin Gieng Temple is closely related to the folk belief of Song Son Temple - the worship of Mother Goddess - an extremely precious traditional cultural feature of the nation from ancient times until now. This is also a famous sacred temple in Thanh land, so it has attracted a large number of tourists from all over the country to visit and worship in all four seasons: Spring, Summer, Autumn, Winter. Especially, during the Song Son Temple Festival on the 26th day of the 2nd lunar month, the procession of the Holy Mother Lieu Hanh from Song Son Temple to Chin Gieng Temple (according to the legend of the elder sister visiting her younger sister) and the Co Chin Temple Festival on the 9th day of the 9th lunar month, the Temple welcomes a large number of visitors from all over the country to offer incense and worship Co Chin, to pray for health, peace, and good luck...

7. Management and promotion of relic values

Currently, the Co Chin Temple Festival is about to begin, a time when spiritual and cultural tourism attracts a large number of people and visitors from all over the world. Therefore, the management subcommittees of the relics of the Nine Wells Temple and Song Son Temple have all strengthened their management to ensure safety and civilization at the relics, while promoting the value of the relics in the town.