Cao Lo Temple, "red address" educating patriotic traditions

(Baonghean)Right next to Cao Lo Temple is the house of Mr. Cao Dang Thang. He was assigned by the Cao family here to take care of, light incense, and protect the temple. From the time of his great-grandfather, to Mr. Thang's grandfather and father, they were all assigned the important responsibility of taking care of and protecting Cao Lo Temple in Dien Tho Commune (Dien Chau, Nghe An).

Legend and genealogy, and royal decree of Cao Lo Vuong's worshiping relic of Dien Tho commune say: Cao Lo was originally from Cao Duc commune, Gia Binh district, Bac Ninh province today (formerly called Kinh Bac town).

Cao Lo was the inventor of the crossbow, also known as the magic crossbow (capable of shooting many arrows at the same time). It was Cao Lo who advised King An Duong Vuong to move the capital to the plains, find land to build the capital, and was the one assigned by King An Duong Vuong to design and command the construction of Co Loa Citadel. He was the one who advised King Thuc not to marry My Nuong to Trong Thuy. King Thuc did not listen and chased him away. Therefore, Cao Lo was sad so he went to Nho Lam to live in seclusion and found an ore mine, smelted iron and became the founder of the blacksmith profession. When Trieu Da's army came to attack, King Thuc lost and fled, Cao Lo and his younger brother Cao Tu went to the rescue. But the enemy was too strong, the great work was not successful, he returned to Nho Lam to "smelt iron weapons". There is a hypothesis that he was killed in battle when he came to save King Thuc.

Cao Lo is the ancestor of the Cao family in Dien Tho. From the ancestor Cao Lo (?-179 BC) to 2000, about 2,200 years have passed with 90 generations of descendants, great-grandchildren, and great-great-grandchildren. The Cao family branches have developed many more branches with tens of thousands of people settling in many different localities. One of the traditional families that contributed to the above tradition is the Cao family in Dien Tho commune. Famous people of the Cao family, including the Cao Dai Ton family here, are typically Cao Xuan Duc, Cao Xuan Huy, Cao Cu Boi, Cao Huy Dinh, Cao Xuan Hao, etc. The Cao family here has contributed to the rich tradition of Dien Chau district - a famous land of Nghe An that has produced many scholars and celebrities for the country.



Previously, Cao Lo temple was in Ru Ta (Ma Yen Son). Later, Cao family descendants moved the temple to its current location.

Presently, at the Cao Dai Ton ancestral temple in Nghe An, there are still nearly 20 royal decrees conferred on famous people by various dynasties, parallel sentences, ancient sacrificial objects... The Cao family's ancestral mausoleum at the foot of Ma Yen mountain has been renovated, embellished and built spaciously since 1995.

On September 4, 1995, Minister of Culture and Information Tran Hoan signed the Decision to grant the National Historical and Cultural Relic Certificate to Cao family temple. The relic includes the temple and traditional and cultural house.

According to tradition, every year on the 10th of February (lunar calendar), descendants of the Cao family in Dien Tho from all over the country come back to participate in the great death anniversary. According to Mr. Cao Dang Thang, in 2010, on the occasion of the great death anniversary of the Cao family in Dien Tho, nearly a dozen descendants from the United States came back to recognize their ancestors.

Cao Lo Temple and Cao family festival in Dien Tho commune are to honor a military celebrity at the dawn of history. This is a very large regional festival with strong national identity, attracting a large number of people to their roots, to show gratitude to those who have contributed to the people and the country, and to promote good customs. Cao Lo Temple in Dien Tho commune is a red address to educate the tradition of "building and defending the country" of our nation to generations, especially the young generation today...

Van Dinh