Flag Altar on Dai Son Mountain

(Baonghean) - On Dai Son mountain, in Truong Nien village, Thanh Chi commune (Thanh Chuong), there exists an ancient, mossy structure associated with the Tran Tan - Dang Nhu Mai uprising. That is the Flag Altar - a National Historical and Cultural Relic.

The altar is a place built and established to hold a ceremony. Under the feudal regime, the national altar was built by the State in the capital on a large scale, a sacred place, strictly protected, often presided over by the king (Nam Giao altar - Nguyen dynasty). Every year in the spring, the royal court held a ceremony to worship heaven and earth to affirm the legitimacy of the dynasty as well as pray for the longevity of the country.

Flag Altar Relics.

The Flag Altar in Thanh Chi is an altar established by the Tran Tan army during the uprising against the French colonialists.

Tran Tan from Chi Ne village (now Truong Nien village), was originally a patriotic scholar, and had served as Thanh Chuong governor. In 1862, the Hue court signed the Nham Tuat treaty, weakly ceding the land of 3 provinces in the East of Cochinchina to France. The French colonialists encroached, occupied 3 provinces in the West and sent troops to the North. The people of the whole country continued to rise up to fight the French. In 1873, he and a number of scholars requested the governor of Nghe Tinh to hold a conference to discuss fighting the enemy to defend the country. At this meeting, Tran Tan was appointed as the supreme commander and was honored as "An Nam Dai Lao Tuong Quan". At this time, he was over 70 years old, but he was still actively preparing plans, recruiting military provisions, training soldiers...

Immediately after the Hue court signed the Giap Tuat treaty recognizing Cochinchina as a French colony, on March 17, 1874, Tran Tan and Tran Huong (son) together with their student Dang Nhu Mai and fellow patriots held a flag-sacrificing ceremony on Dai Son mountain, issued a proclamation "pacifying the West and killing the left", calling on the people to rise up and fight the enemy to defend the country, to fight both the French army and the court army, including the reactionaries disguised as religious. The insurgent army grew steadily, from 700 soldiers to thousands of soldiers, using Thanh Thuy in Nam Thanh - Nam Dan as the main base; coordinating with the regional armies to attack almost all the mountainous and plain districts in Nghe An and Ha Tinh. Many decisive battles took place, especially in Nam Thanh and Bat At field (Dien Lam). In mid-July 1874, most of the regions in Nghe - Tinh were under the control of the insurgent army (except for Nghe An Citadel). On the winning streak, Tran Tan's army gained prestige and expanded its influence to neighboring provinces.

However, due to mistakes and shortcomings in policies and strategies, the insurgent army gradually weakened and was attacked by the French and the imperial army, forcing them to retreat to the Western Nghe - Tinh region to hold out. Afterwards, Tran Tan sent a wing of his army to Laos to consolidate his forces. Due to old age and poor health, he fell ill and died on August 22, Giap Tuat year (1874). Shortly after, Tran Huong and Dang Nhu Mai were also captured and executed in Vinh.

The Tran Tan - Dang Nhu Mai uprising was suppressed, but the indomitable patriotism and the strong will to fight against foreign invaders of the scholars and people of Nghe Tinh still shone brightly, strongly encouraging the patriotic movement against the French of our people.

According to the elders in Truong Nien village, the Flag Offering Altar in Thanh Chi, colloquially called "the Flag Offering Altar", was built around 1873, after Tran Tan was appointed commander; or early 1874, before he raised the flag of uprising.

Dai Son is a low mountain, located right next to the southern bank of Lam River. Standing on the top of the mountain, you can see a large area around. To the East and Southeast are Oi Mountain and Vat Mountain, to the West is the majestic Quanh Mountain. Right in front is Bau Sen (formerly this field was used to grow lotus). From Tran Tan's house (at the foot of the mountain) to the top of the mountain, it is nearly 200m. Due to the favorable terrain, Tran Tan chose this place to raise the flag of uprising, set up an altar and train soldiers.

The Flag Altar is located right in the middle of Dai Son mountain top, on a 2,000m2 plot of land.The altar is relatively flat. The altar is built in a rectangular shape, with an area of ​​42 square meters, with 4 walls 0.8 meters high on each side, and a pillar at each corner, with a lantern (broken) on top. The altar faces east with a main door. In front of the door is a screen, which is also an altar table. When starting the ceremony, you must light incense and ask for permission at this altar table. Inside the altar, behind the main door is the second altar table, followed by a 3-step altar, each step is a laterite slab 1.3 meters long and 0.7 meters wide. Finally, the back altar - the highest part of the altar (1.6 meters), on both sides are 2 rows of chairs 3.5 meters long and 0.7 meters wide. The patterns and Chinese characters decorated on the wall have faded. Behind the back altar is a statue of a kneeling elephant with a parasol (collapsed).

All were made from laterite in many different shapes, mainly rectangular and square. This type of stone had to be cut by the craftsmen right from underground when the stone was still soft, according to the desired size. In those days, the insurgents could get stones from Dai Son to build the altar, because laterite was abundant here. The materials for mending and plastering the construction were crushed mussel shells, lime, sand, stone, paper and niet tree resin.

In front of the altar is the tomb of Tran Tan and Tran Huong. Behind the altar is a large field - where the insurgents practiced, along with a path down the mountain, leading to Ganh Bang, a water port on the bank of Lam River. According to the village elders, that day Tran Tan ordered the insurgents to transport rocks to the river bank, following the natural conditions to form a port, both for the people and soldiers to bathe and wash every day, and to prevent water from eroding the alluvial land and to serve as a port for troops to transfer to battle. The people in the area named this water port Ganh Bang, to remember him (bang bien). At the Flag Altar, on March 17, 1874, in front of the insurgents who were seething with hatred for the enemy, Tran Tan performed a ceremony to worship heaven and earth, raised the flag of uprising, and called on the people to rise up for the common cause. After each victory and before setting out, he often performed a ceremony here.

Over time, although covered with moss and somewhat destroyed by nature, the Flag Altar still stands tall on Dai Son Mountain, a testament to a glorious time, associated with the name of Tran Tan and the uprising he led.

Today, the descendants of the Tran family and local people still regularly organize three ceremonies each year: the uprising day, Tran Tan's death anniversary, and the Lunar New Year, to commemorate Tran Tan and the martyrs, as well as to pray for health, good crops, and a peaceful and happy life.

In recognition of his great contributions to the cause of fighting to save the country, on February 30, 2002, the Ministry of Culture and Information recognized the Flag Altar, Tran Tan's tomb and Tran Tan's church as a National Historical and Cultural Relic. In 2008, the Flag Altar was restored for the first time. In 2012, the road leading to the altar was restored with stone blocks, measuring 30 - 60 - 15cm taken from Nghi Yen - Nghi Loc. A stone road with many steps nearly 150m long leading to the relic has been completed. Currently, with the attention of the State, organizations, individuals from the Central to the local level and the Tran family..., many items of the relic are being restored and embellished. The Flag Altar has a new wall system. The Tran Tan church is renovating the upper and lower houses, building new walls and embellishing the main gate. An asphalt road connecting the relic with Highway 533 will be built in the near future according to the project being invested in.

140 years have passed, the Tran Tan - Dang Nhu Mai uprising still echoes the indomitable and resilient spirit of the people of Nghe An in the fight against invaders to protect the country!

Article and photos:Huy Thu