Learn about the sacred Dong Dang Lang Son Mother Temple

Lang Son is not only a border gate that leads tourists to other tourist destinations, but this place also has many places for entertainment and shopping for cheap foreign products. In particular, there is Dong Dang Mau Temple - a special pagoda with its own architecture, religious beliefs and history that many spiritual tourists come to pray and burn incense, necessary for a prosperous and happy life.

1. Dong Dang Mother Temple

Dong Dang Mau Temple is a place to worship Buddha and Holy Mother Lieu Hanh - two important deities in spiritual worship in Vietnam. Dong Dang Mau Temple is also known as Dong Dang Linh Tu - according to records, it is an ancient pagoda located at the foot of the mountain. Later, due to the large number of pilgrims, the pagoda was moved from the foot of the mountain to Dong Dang valley for the convenience of visitors from all over. The reason why Dong Dang Mau Temple is so famous can be explained by the fact that Holy Mother Lieu Hanh is one of the "Four Immortals" of the Vietnamese people worshiped here.

2. Legend of Holy Mother Lieu Hanh

Legend has it that Mother Lieu Hanh was the daughter of the Jade Emperor and named Quynh Hoa. She came down to earth to help people during the Later Le Dynasty and was appointed by the royal court as Princess Lieu Hanh, also known as the Supreme God of Fortune. Once when she went to Lang Son, she saw an abandoned temple with a Buddha statue but no one was burning incense. At that time, she met Trang Bung - Phung Khac Khoan when he had just returned from a mission to China, she gently reminded him to repair the temple. Phung Khac Khoan immediately listened and from then on, the Dong Dang Temple worshiped both Buddha and Mother Lieu Hanh.

3. Architecture and worship space

The new Dong Dang Temple has a much larger campus than the old location, making it more comfortable for many spiritual tourists, but it is still located right at the foot of the mountain. The temple's main gate is built with arches and unique motifs and patterns. Inside the yard, there are also two elephants on the left and right, prostrating at the entrance to the inner temple. In the middle of the yard is a Buddha altar with a statue of Bodhisattva Guan Yin.

Inside the Dong Dang Mother Temple, there are 5 worshiping rooms: the innermost is the Tam Bao where Buddha Chuẩn Đề and Buddha Quan Am are worshiped, the next room outside worships the Tam Toa Thanh Mau, where the First Mother of the Upper Heaven, the Second Mother of the Upper Thousand and the Third Mother of the Thoai Palace are worshiped.

Outside is the Son Trang worshiping room, including Mau Thuong Ngan in the middle, with Chau Muoi Dong Mo and Chau Chin worshiping on both sides. The middle and outermost room of the main hall worships Chua Lieu, with Chau Bo and Chau Luc on both sides.

In addition, like some other places, the temple also worships the Tran Dynasty King, the holy girl, the holy boy... Behind the temple there is also a stupa with forbidden floors, but this entrance is only opened on festival days.

4. Regulations at Dong Dang Temple

Visitors coming here should only buy some flowers or cakes, or just need sincerity and public money and then pray. To prevent fire and explosion, the temple management board has issued regulations:

• It is strictly forbidden to burn incense and make offerings in the temple.
• Burning votive paper is prohibited.

5. Festival time and activities

Dong Dang Mau Temple is a place to worship the Thousand-year-old Mother Goddess and Buddha in Dong Dang town, Cao Loc district, Lang Son province. Every year on January 10, this place holds a spring festival to welcome many visitors to come and worship. From the first days of the new year, the temple has been bustling with pilgrims and spiritual tourists from all over.

Early spring in January is also the flower season of the northern mountainous provinces. You can book a tour to Lang Son to go to the border gate to buy cheap electronic products or household appliances, and visit temples in the area or follow the Ba Be Lake - Ban Gioc Waterfall tour, which will have a schedule to visit Dong Dang Mau Temple.

White plum blossoms and Bauhinia flowers also bloom throughout the mountains at this time. Many backpackers and tourists go to the mountainous provinces to see the flowers. The route they take must pass through Lang Son.

6. Tips for travelers

• Many tourists choose to visit the temple before or after the 10th to avoid the crowds. Even early in the morning on the 9th, the temple was packed with people.
• If you finish praying at Dong Dang Mau Temple and want to go to other provinces to travel and see flowers, please contact travel agencies to arrange a tour according to your wishes.
• If you want to avoid going to Dong Dang Mau Temple during crowded times, just avoid the first day of the Lunar New Year in January. Otherwise, you can come here all year round because Lang Son's weather is quite cool, the summer is not too hot and the temple is not on the top of the mountain, so it is convenient for traveling and worshiping.
• Just buy basic offerings and light one incense stick and one votive offering.
• From February to November every year is great weather for mountain travel, it is not too cold and not rainy, in summer it is not too sunny so whether you travel in the city or go mountain climbing, walking a lot will not be tired.

7. Reasons to travel on a tour

The blooming season in the mountains lasts from January to June, the ripe rice season from September to October also makes this place crowded with tourists. You can travel at any time during the above period, it is very beautiful and suitable for both discovery and resort tourism.

Spiritual tourism to Dong Dang Mau Temple, you can visit other tourist attractions as well as shop at the border gate. You can book a tour to take care of all transportation issues from Hanoi to Lang Son, vehicles to tourist attractions in Lang Son such as the border gate, Mau Temple, ... as well as hotels and accommodations.

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