Mai Bang Temple (Cua Lo Town) received the National Monument certificate

(Baonghean.vn) – On the morning of October 3, the People's Committee of Cua Lo Town and Nghi Thuy Ward solemnly held a ceremony to receive the certificate of national historical relic of Mai Bang Temple.

Attending were representatives of the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism, leaders of the City Party Committee, People's Committee, departments and branches of Cua Lo town and thousands of people of Nghi Thuy ward and Cua Lo town.

Drum performance to welcome the Ceremony of receiving the Certificate of Historical Relic of Mai Bang Temple.

Mai Bang Temple, Nghi Thuy Ward (Cua Lo Town), about 20km northeast of Vinh City. According to legend, the temple was built during the Le Dynasty (1778) to worship Chieu Trung Vuong Le Khoi, who had great merit under the Le Dynasty, helping Le Loi defeat the Ming invaders in the 15th century.

Le Khoi joined the Lam Son insurgents from the very beginning. His name was on the Lung Nhai Oath and the list of 35 meritorious officials of the uprising. Le Khoi lived through three dynasties: Le Thai To, Le Thai Tong, and Le Nhan Tong and held the positions of General of the Guard, Royal Envoy of the Navy and Land.

In 1443, he was sent to be the Governor of Hoan Chau. Here, he paid great attention to agricultural development as well as building dams to reclaim land and establish villages. In 1446, after defeating the Champa army, on the way back, he fell seriously ill and passed away. He was later buried by the people at Long Ngam mountain (Thach Ha, Ha Tinh).

Leaders of the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism, the Town Party Committee, the People's Committee of Cua Lo town, along with many delegates and people attended the ceremony.

The residents of Mai Bang area originated from Mai Phu village (Ha Tinh). After migrating to Mai Bang village (Nghi Thuy ward - Cua Lo town today), they set up a tablet to worship Le Khoi, honoring him as the village's tutelary god.

The temple is also the place to worship Lady Che Thang Nguyen Thi Bich Chau, a beautiful and talented concubine, revered by the people as a sea goddess; and Lady Thuy Tinh, wife of the Dragon King...

In addition, the Temple also worships those who contributed to the establishment of Mai Bang, namely Tran Liet, Nguyen Van Nhiem, Pham Cong Huan, Hoang Duc Thuc, Le Viet Le, and Vo Chinh Tao.

The procession of the god's palanquin within the framework of the Ceremony to receive the National Monument Certificate of the people of Nghi Thuy ward.

At first, Mai Bang Temple was just a thatched house. During the Nguyen Dynasty, the temple was renovated on a large scale, including the upper hall, the middle hall and the lower hall in a three-shaped layout. Over the centuries, the temple has deteriorated, and festival activities at the temple had to be suspended for a long time.

Since 2004, with the philosophy of remembering the source of water, in addition to contributing labor and effort, local people have donated money to restore and renovate the temple, and cultural activities have returned to their former glory. The temple is a place to preserve the valuable spiritual culture of Mai Bang people in particular and Cua Lo town in general.

The procession of King Chieu Trung Le Khoi's palanquin to perform a ceremony on the sea and welcome 6 ancestors from Ha Tinh who had the merit of establishing a hamlet and opening up the people to settle on the land of Mai Bang village.

Every year, Mai Bang Temple holds two major festivals on February 12 and May 3 (Lunar calendar). The first festival of the year on February 12 (Lunar calendar), the founding day of the village, is both a fishing ceremony and the death anniversary of Lady Che Thang. Villagers gather in large numbers to organize exciting festival activities with rituals such as: God procession, Ta Can worship and Diem Dinh ceremony. On the occasion of the festival on May 3 (Lunar calendar), commemorating the death anniversary of Chieu Trung Vuong Le Khoi, people organize a procession of the god's palanquin and worship the god.

Besides spiritual cultural activities, the temple also holds traditional folk cultural activities combined with modern games, creating richness for the culture of coastal fishermen.

Leaders of the City Party Committee, People's Committee of Cua Lo Town and Mai Bang Temple received the National Monument Certificate.

Currently, the Temple still preserves 138 artifacts, including 75 ancient artifacts: royal decrees, plaques, palanquins, parallel sentences, large inscriptions, thrones, incense tables, altars...

These are precious artifacts, of historical, cultural and artistic value. In particular, the central hall has an ancient architectural style, wooden materials, sophisticated carvings, and sturdy rafters creating an ancient and majestic look for the temple.

Leaders of the City Party Committee, People's Committee of Cua Lo Town, Mai Bang Temple received the National Monument Certificate into the temple.

Mai Bang Temple has both historical value and unique architecture, preserving many rare antiques, and plays an important role in the spiritual life of the people. The Temple was recognized as a National Historical Relic according to Decision No. 2279/QD-BVHTTDL (July 1, 2016).

Tran Hai