Elephant Temple: Ancient architectural beauty

(Baonghean) - If you want to find a quiet place, admire the profound beauty and contemplate the passing of time, please visit Voi Temple, located in the ancient village of Nhan Son (now hamlet 2, Quynh Hong commune - Quynh Luu). The temple still retains its ancient features from its appearance, materials, patterns to carvings. All of these exude the talent and aesthetic sense of the ancients. That is the reason why Voi Temple was recognized by the Provincial People's Committee as a Historical - Architectural and Artistic Relic.

According to the elders of the ancient Nhan Son village, Voi Temple is a place to worship the gods who protected the lives of the people and the ancestors who contributed to repelling foreign invaders and keeping the country peaceful. They are Phan Van Bai, Ho Canh Xi and Nguyen Duy Thoi, who contributed to the discovery and development of this countryside. These people were awarded royal titles by King Canh Thinh (Tay Son Dynasty) and King Tu Duc (Nguyen Dynasty) to express their gratitude. The temple is located in the center of the village, on the left is Long Son Mountain, on the right is Tuong Son Mountain, adding to its majestic and imposing appearance. The ancient Nhan Son people considered Voi Temple as one of the places for religious activities, to entrust their spiritual life and preserve traditional beauty. Every year, here, villagers organize sacred and solemn ceremonies such as the Ky Yen, Ky Phuc, Tru Tich, Khai Ha ceremonies... Through these ceremonies, everyone sends their wishes for national peace and prosperity, abundant blessings, calm seas, favorable weather, bountiful crops... After the solemn and respectful ceremony is the festival with folk games such as swinging, wrestling, robbing tops, human chess, cooking rice... Along with that is the night of performing plays, Cheo plays and folk song competitions, making the atmosphere of the village always full of vitality, people full of joy, and village solidarity increasingly stronger.

The sacred, ancient features of the Elephant Temple.

Over hundreds of years of history, the Voi Temple has been restored and embellished many times. The people of Nhan Son village, from generation to generation, have taken turns taking care of and offering incense at the temple. During the fierce years of the two wars against the French and the Americans, the Voi Temple gradually deteriorated. A lucky thing that few historical relics have is that until today, the local people still protect and preserve the Voi Temple with three important items: the main gate (ritual gate), the back palace and the worshiping hall. Although not kept in the same state as hundreds of years ago, these items still exude an ancient, mossy beauty, evoking majesty and solemnity.

The high gate is carved with dragons, phoenixes and parallel sentences. The worshiping hall and the sanctuary are both made of ironwood, the sturdy pillars are all stained with the “color of time”, each carving on the rafters is made by the hands of talented craftsmen, who put a lot of effort into each line. The incense table and various sacrificial objects that were once carefully kept are now brought out and arranged properly, further enhancing the sacredness. The steps are paved with flat green stone slabs, reminding descendants of a time long gone, remembering the past generations who have now returned to their ancestors who once set foot in this place. Suddenly, my heart is filled with nostalgia, I feel sorry for those who have gone far away, and I remind myself to remind my descendants not to forget their roots, to always preserve the “land and customs”, to preserve the humanistic foundation passed down by the ancients. The campus is quite spacious, the ancient trees spreading their luxuriant shade add to the tranquility, bringing a sense of elegance and gentleness. We were quite impressed with the stone stele placed at the worshiping hall, the stele was engraved with Chinese characters, after hundreds of years the letters are still clear. The content of the stele was translated: “A hundred thousand years ago, it was built by our ancestors, a hundred thousand years later, it is continued by our descendants, that person will never forget... Now, in the future, there will be joy and peace, the gods will shine, the people will be safe and happy, come up to this platform and silently thank them. Everyone will say: Build this sacred platform for thousands of years to receive the blessings of the gods, and record the lasting truth on stone”. That is a reminder to future generations…

During the revolutionary struggles, Voi Temple was the place to mark important historical events for the homeland and country; the place where local party members held meetings during the Nghe-Tinh Soviet movement (1930-1931); the place to store military provisions, a stopover for army units on the way to the battlefield in the war against the French and American invaders.

In 2012, Voi Temple was recognized by the Provincial People's Committee as a Historical - Architectural Artistic Relic. This is the pride of the people of Nhan Son village in particular, and Quynh Hong commune in general, because the generations of ancestors have left a unique cultural and spiritual work for the long term.

Article and photos:TUONG ANH