Mau Temple - a sacred place in Pho Hien, Hung Yen

Located on Bai Say Street, Quang Trung Ward, Hung Yen City - Mau Temple (also known as Hoa Duong Linh Tu) is one of the sacred places of worship in Hung Yen Province, attracting the attention of many tourists from all over the world. This is a unique temple located in the Pho Hien National Monument Complex, a historical relic that is not only beautiful in terms of location, architecture, and landscape but also contains unique tangible and intangible cultural values of ancient Pho Hien.

The Mau Temple is located on a land area of nearly 3000m2, in front of which is a crescent lake, a little further away is the Red River dike. The temple worships Lady Duong Quy Phi of the Chinese Song Dynasty, this is a rare difference among ancient temples of the Vietnamese. In the book "Dai Nam Nhat Thong Chi", it is recorded that the Mau Temple was built during the reign of Tran Nhan Tong, in 1279. Although it has undergone many periods of restoration, when coming to the Mau Temple, visitors can still fully enjoy the ancient, ancient beauty remaining on each brick, roof or statue.

The temple's main gate was built quite beautifully, with a two-story, eight-roofed, arched architecture, with one main door and two side doors. On the arched door is a large inscription in Seal script: "Duong Thien Hau - Tong Trieu" and the large inscription is assembled from pieces of blue and white ceramic, a typical feature of Nguyen Dynasty architecture, in Chinese characters: "Thien Ha mau nghi" (The wise mother in the world).

Passing through the temple gate, visitors come to worship as if entering the space of Buddha - Saint with the lingering incense smoke, peaceful scenery and chirping birds. Right in front of the Temple yard is the canopy of an ancient tree with a dense shade around the Temple, adding to the solemnity and tranquility. Tour guide Nguyen Thi Lien introduced: "In the yard is a unique convergence of 3 tree trunks: banyan tree, green tree, and ficus tree. The 3 tree trunks are about 800 years old. These 3 tree trunks grow on top of each other. Scientists say that there are many ancient trees in the Northern Delta, but rare ancient trees like those in Mau Temple are nowhere to be found. The tree roots grow out to form a very sturdy tripod like the Mother's hand reaching out to welcome her children back."

Through the Temple yard is the front hall with 3 compartments, 2-storey architecture with 8 roofs; the roof is softly curved in the style of a dragon; covered with dragon scale tiles; the front is decorated with two dragons facing the moon, bearing the pure Vietnamese architectural features. On both sides of the main worshiping hall are the Luu Ly Palace and the Quang Han Palace. Ms. Nguyen Thi Lien said: "At the center of the front hall of the Mau Temple, above is a golden inscription by Doctor Chu Manh Trinh written in 1896. The inscription praises the beauty of the Temple and the chaste heart of the Holy Mother. Also in the front hall is a palanquin with eight pillars bearing the sculptures of the Later Le Dynasty. The carvings on the palanquin are very sophisticated. This is a sitting palanquin, also known as the Dragon palanquin. At the central shrine there is a palanquin with seven arms, which is a lying palanquin, also known as the Phoenix palanquin."

Passing through the front hall, you will enter the inner palace, where there is a statue of Yang Guifei with a kind face, along with two servants, Kim Thi and Lieu Thi, dating from the 17th-18th century. All are painted with gold. In this altar, under the dim light of the candlelight, in the spreading smoke of incense, visitors can feel the quiet and sacred atmosphere of the inner palace.

The palanquin, the dragon pavilion, the dragon bed, and the dragon throne date back to the 18th and 19th centuries, and 15 royal decrees from the Le Dynasty to the Nguyen Dynasty, along with many horizontal lacquered boards, parallel sentences, and large characters praising the chastity and loyalty of Concubine Duong Quy Phi. Visitors from all over the world tell each other that when they come to Mau Temple to pray for good fortune and good luck, everyone will be safe, healthy, and have a smooth business. When worshiping at Mau Temple, everyone must bring a pure and kind heart, not greedy or selfish. Duong Xuan Hung, a tourist from Hai Phong, shared: "Many times passing by here, I have stopped by to burn incense to the Holy Mother. After the ceremony, I feel very comfortable and relaxed. The temple has beautiful architecture, the layout and scenery of the temple are very beautiful."

Every year, the Mau Temple Festival in Hung Yen is held from the 10th to the 15th of the third lunar month, attracting a large number of local people and tourists from all over the region to attend, worship, and pray for good things and happiness. The ceremony takes place solemnly with a procession, and the festival includes folk games and Chau Van singing.

The Management Board of the Mau Temple said: "The 10th is the opening day of the festival, the 12th is the day to carry the Mother from the temple around the street and to Hien communal house and vice versa. The procession is called the procession. Wherever the Mother's palanquin goes, people will set up an altar and offer flowers and fruits, and the temples will organize a welcome every time the Mother passes by. The 13th is the Mother's death anniversary, the 15th is the day of thanksgiving, carrying the Mother from the palanquin to the Back Palace. The 14th day of the 7th lunar month is also an important day of the Temple. That day is the day of bathing, which means the day to change the Mother's clothes, and it is also the day of the Temple's big party."

Mau Temple is currently a spiritual and cultural tourist destination, not only for Hung Yen people, but also attracts a large number of tourists from all over the world to come on pilgrimage to pray for blessings, fortune, and wealth... Not only during the main festival, but also on the full moon and first day of the lunar month, the number of people coming to burn incense, worship and visit is also very large.

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