Bac Son has sediments.
(Baonghean) - More than a year ago, I went on a survey trip to survey tourism potential with the Nghe An Tourism Promotion Information Center and local travel agencies. Among the many destinations, relics, and scenic spots that we had the opportunity to enjoy, I was forever impressed by Bac Son village, a residential area less than 1 km2but converges a variety of religious works. On this occasion, I fulfilled my promise to myself, returning to Bac Son to learn more about this land rich in historical sediments.
From National Highway 46 through Nam Dan Town, our car crossed Sa Nam Bridge, turned right to find Bac Son village. Only a few hundred meters from the district town center, but when entering the village, people can easily feel the rustic, rustic space embracing the life and activities of the residents here. Surely, so when visitors from afar set foot on this land, they walk more gently, laugh and talk softly as if afraid to break the simplicity and peace of the thousand-year-old village. Bac Son village belongs to Van Dien commune, Nam Dan district. It is also strange that the ancient land of the ancient Van An citadel and Van Dien today is known to be the place where the farmer hero Mai Thuc Loan - Mai Hac De established his career. When coming to Van Dien, people often pay all their attention to the cluster of relics and historical works related to the life and career of King Mai, but do not know that not far away, there is a strangely attractive Bac Son village.
Mr. Vuong Truong Thu, representative of the Bac Son relic cluster management board, welcomed us with a friendly, simple smile, often seen in the countryside. Hearing the guest's request to visit the village's relic cluster, he honestly said: "It will take a long time. There is a pagoda, two temples, a communal house, and a village well. All are historical relics." Then he led us for a walk under the fragrant magnolia trees to the pagoda in the center of the village. Duc Son Pagoda is the name of the pagoda from the Tran Dynasty. The pagoda also has a colloquial name "Nam Pagoda" because during the Ly - Tran Dynasty, this land was called "Ke Nam". As an ancient architectural work, Duc Son Pagoda has a beautiful landscape facing the Northeast. Right in front of the pagoda gate, there is a pair of parallel sentences engraved: "The flag of the Dharma flies high to meet the main meeting place/ The door of compassion is wide open to welcome guests from all over the world"; in simple terms, the door of compassion in the Buddha's realm is always open to welcome hearts that turn to a place of purity...
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| Duc Son Temple. |
According to the survey of the Management Board of Nghe An Monuments and Landscapes, Duc Son Pagoda is a historical, architectural and artistic relic. In the past, the whole village belonged to the pagoda's land with architectural works such as: Tam Quan, Bao Thap (temple of the monk), Luc Dao house, Toan house, Ha Pagoda, Thuong Pagoda, Pagoda well... forming an independent, quiet and majestic relic area. Through many historical changes and the ravages of time, the pagoda's land was narrowed, the majestic Tam Quan gate of the past was no longer there, and the Bao Thap was also damaged. However, the good news is that despite many changes and fluctuations, the pagoda had to be restored and repaired many times, but it still retains its own ancient features. Currently, it still retains architectural works such as: pagoda gate, yard, altar of ten kinds of living beings, guardian tower, Luc Dao house, Toan house, Ha Pagoda, Thuong Pagoda. Especially, the system of statues - the soul of the pagoda is still intact. In addition, at Duc Son Pagoda, there are also valuable artifacts such as ancient bells, a set of 210 wooden carvings of Buddhist scriptures. Anyone who has ever set foot in Bac Son and entered the pagoda will be amazed by the system of 38 ancient statues, which are over 200 years old, with very sophisticated wood carvings that express the unique concepts and artistic thinking of the people in a historical period. Among them are statues of high historical and artistic value such as: The statues of Tam The, Amitabha three gods, Ngoc Hoang, Quan Am Tong Tu, Hoa Nghiem three laws, Thich Ca Sinh, Duc Ong - Anan Da, Kim Dong - Ngoc Nu... and there is also a statue of the abbot at the pagoda.
Mr. Vuong Truong Thu said that after a long time without a resident monk, in June 2015, according to the assignment of the Executive Committee of the Nghe An Buddhist Sangha with the approval of the Provincial People's Committee, Venerable Thich Nu Quang Tinh took on the role of resident monk of Duc Son Pagoda. Unfortunately, when we arrived, the Venerable was not present at the pagoda, but we were still very happy that Duc Son Pagoda had found a place in the Buddhist Sangha and in the people's belief in the good realm.
Located in the same area as Duc Son Pagoda is Duc Son Temple. That is also what makes our strangeness interesting. The harmony between Buddhism and Taoism is clearly evident in a narrow space. Duc Son Pagoda and the temple of the same name lean on each other as if they are difficult to separate. Mr. Vuong Truong Thu said that on the first and fifteenth days of the lunar month, local people often go to worship at both places. Duc Son Temple was formerly known as Vo Mieu, the temple of the Holy Mother. The first impression of the temple is the ancient features in front of the three-entrance gate. On the low wall covered with the shadow of time are tiny wild flowers like dots of fire, making it difficult for travelers to hide their excitement. Many people say that Duc Son Temple was built in the 17th century, but there are also opinions that Vo Mieu dates back to the same period as Duc Son Pagoda. But those hypotheses are now probably not as important as the fact that both architectural works coexist and warm the spiritual values of the people.
Similar to Duc Son Pagoda, Duc Son Temple still preserves 110 wood-carved Bibles and many ancient books. Here we met Mr. Le Quang Huong - Head of the Bac Son relic cluster management team. Mr. Huong showed us 4 royal decrees that the Nguyen Dynasty kings conferred on Duc Son Temple. Mr. Le Quang Huong said that the temple festival is held on March 3 every year to pay tribute to the Holy Mother, who protected the people from disasters and difficulties.
Bac Son has only 130 households with more than 500 people, all year round the people work and earn a living with only 34 acres of rice fields. The whole village is located in less than 1 square kilometer. Yet they have an extremely rich spiritual life. Perhaps these factors were nurtured since the time Bac Son was still located in the Van An citadel complex, where King Mai Thuc Loan raised an army in the 8th century to fight against the Tang Dynasty (China). This was even more evident when we continued walking on the village road to visit Nam Son Temple. Nam Son Temple is also respectfully called Duc Ong Temple by the people in the area, because this construction was built by the people to worship one of the 12 generals under Mai Thuc Loan. Until now, no one knows the real name of that general, but it is said that when he was young, he was handsome and talented. Born into a family of mandarins, he had the opportunity to interact widely with many classes, so he understood the suffering of the people who lost their country. From then on, he nurtured the will to find talented people to help the people, save the country and met Mai Thuc Loan... From the first battle until Hoan Chau land was liberated and Van An state was established, that general always played an important role in the strategy of fighting the enemy and building the country. When Mai Thuc Loan ascended the throne, the Emperor appointed him as General and he became one of the pillars of the court. To remember and show gratitude to him, after the uprising failed (726), the people of Sa Nam built a temple to worship him at the foot of Nam mountain (the location of the old Nam Son post). According to documents of the Management Board of Monuments and Landscapes of Nghe An, in the old Nam Dan land there were many temples to worship Mai Hac De's generals, but Nam Son is the only remaining temple to worship a general right in the old Van An base area. Later, people here also worshiped another general of King Mai, Ba Lam, the great king. The temple has also been recognized by the State as a historical and cultural relic that plays an important role in the religious life of the people. Currently, Nam Son temple still preserves many precious artifacts such as: An thu, dragon palanquin, dragon throne, memorial tablet, great prayer, horizontal lacquered board, parallel sentences... In particular, the temple still preserves 5 royal decrees under the Nguyen dynasty from King Canh Thinh to King Duy Tan.
In this small village, there is also an old communal house worshiping Thanh Hoang and an ancient well with a diameter of nearly 5m and a depth of up to 15m. All of them recreate a space filled with ancient and peaceful features amidst a modern life full of worries and hustle and bustle. In Bac Son, people still pass on the saying: "The land of the king, the village temple has a Buddha landscape/ People live in a world of fairyland and mountains". And if anyone needs to find a moment of relaxation, come to Bac Son to feel more at ease.
Dao Tuan
