Explore Linh Kiem Temple - where Nguyen Trung Ngan is worshiped

Located near the Lam River, after nearly 700 years, Linh Kiem Temple still retains its ancient features. The temple is the place to worship Mr. Nguyen Trung Ngan, a native of Tho Hoang village, Thien Thi district, now An Thi district, Hung Yen province. He is the son of the first-ranking scholar Nguyen Hien.

He had the merit of defeating the Ai Lao invaders. In 1337, he held the position of An Phu of Nghe An, had the merit of keeping the border peaceful, severely punishing corrupt officials. He discovered the land of Anh - Do (Anh Son - Do Luong), reclaimed and established many farms, encouraged villages and communes to open schools. The famous person Nguyen Trung Ngan (1289 - 1370) was considered by his contemporaries and later generations as an outstanding talent in many fields.

Front of Linh Kiem Temple. Photo: Ngoc Phuong

Nguyen Trung Ngan's childhood name was Cot, his given name was Bang Truc, his pen name was Gioi Hien. His talent was revealed at a very young age, and he was famous for his intelligence. At only 15 years old, he passed the Royal Examination (1304), and later became an official with the title of Nhap Noi Dai Hanh Khien (Prime Minister), with the title of Than Quoc Cong, leading the ranks of officials in the royal court.

He was a good politician, an excellent diplomat, a fair legislator, a wise policy maker, and also a talented poet. In the Complete Annals of Dai Viet, compared to other figures of the same generation, Nguyen Trung Ngan was recorded more, with many praises. The higher his position, the more he dared to innovate and innovate effectively.

He was good at internal affairs, diplomacy, poetry, had practical experience in localities, and performed well in all positions in the capital. Before Nguyen Trung Ngan, the entire Ly and Tran dynasties had no Prime Minister who could do as well as he did. Mr. Tran Nguyen Dan - a high-ranking mandarin, a member of the Tran royal family, and Nguyen Trai highly appreciated Nguyen Trung Ngan's personality and talent for governing the country: "Bright as the North Star, towering as Mount Thai Son, the people all admire the Right Second Tower".

In 1370, he passed away at the age of 82. After his death, the royal court allowed many localities to build temples to worship and pay tribute to his contributions. In Thang Long alone, there were 7 temples. In Do Luong, in Thuan Son commune, Linh Kiem temple was built in Thuan Ly village. Currently, Linh Kiem temple still holds 4 royal decrees of 4 dynasties.

To commemorate his merits, every year on June 11 and 12 (lunar calendar), the people of Thuan Son commune organize festivals and many cultural activities rich in identity, expressing their admiration for Thanh Hoang Nguyen Trung Ngan, attracting a large number of people to participate.

Mr. Nguyen Dinh Thanh and the ancient sword, said to belong to Nguyen Trung Ngan. The antique hat is disassembled, the exquisite craftsmanship combines copper and precious stones. The image of a horse transforming into a dragon, an ancient carving in the main hall of the temple. The painting of a dragon and phoenix made of lacquer has not faded after hundreds of years. Photo: Ngoc Phuong

After nearly 700 years, Linh Kiem Temple still retains its ancient architecture, decorated and elaborately carved. Currently, the temple is preserving many rare antiques, including a precious ancient sword that Mr. Nguyen Trung Ngan always carries with him.

“The sword is considered a treasure of the temple and is always kept very carefully. The hilt is carved very delicately, showing the power of the sword user…”.

Mr. Nguyen Dinh Thanh has been the temple manager for more than 20 years.

In addition to the ancient sword, the temple also preserves an ancient hat made of bronze and precious stones. This was the hat of a person with high power in the ancient feudal period. The hat has now been disassembled into its parts.

However, all the details are still intact. The dragonfly wings on both sides of the hat are very delicately crafted. The incense burner in the upper hall dates from the Ly Dynasty, with the image of a dragon with 3 spurs on its back. This incense burner was crafted by highly skilled ancient artisans, so it is very rare.

Many cultural and antiquities researchers highly appreciate this antiquity. The temple also has an ancient book from the reign of King Thanh Thai when he was 6 years old. The Hao Ly of Thuan Trung commune (9 villages) wrote this book.

The temple also has many wooden antiques, with paintings of two dragons facing the moon, phoenixes, unicorns, and turtles in a lotus pond of the “four sacred animals, four seasons”. The entire architecture of the temple is an artistic painting depicting the overall good wishes that the ancients passed down to their descendants. Linh Kiem Temple was ranked as a provincial-level historical and cultural relic in 2012.