Unique architectural art of Duc Hoang Temple National Monument (Do Luong)

Over time, the temple was degraded. Thanks to the efforts of local authorities and philanthropists, Duc Hoang Temple (Do Luong) has been restored to almost its original state, preserving the thousand-year-old cultural identity of the local people as well as the unique architecture remaining from the time of King Le Trang Ton.

According to history books, Duc Hoang Temple was established by King Le Trang Ton in 1548 to remember the land that sheltered him and his ancestors.

Duc Hoang Temple was built in the early 16th century, on a flat, airy and beautiful land, next to National Highway 7. The ancient relic belongs to Diem Trang commune, Anh Do district, now Yen Son commune, Do Luong district, with a total area of ​​8,448m2.

In 1996, Duc Hoang Temple was ranked as a national historical - architectural and artistic relic by the Ministry of Culture - Information (now the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism) in Decision No. 51/QD-BVHTT dated January 17, 1996.

Duc Hoang Temple is a rare architectural and artistic relic in the system of architectural and artistic relics of Nghe An, not only in terms of architectural scale but also in the art of decorative sculptures in the temple.

The artifacts preserved in the temple reflect the aesthetic and high artistic value. The three unique dragon palanquins have added value to the relic. The elaborately carved gilded incense altars with the theme of the four sacred animals and four seasons are expressed in many attractive and vivid motifs. In addition, there are many valuable ancient sacrificial artifacts such as the dragon throne, dragon palanquin, eight treasures...

The worship house is a 3-room, 2-wing building with 4 trusses in the style of four pillars. The front of the worship house is a system of traditional upper-slit and lower-slab doors that are quite beautifully decorated. The middle room is carved with large Chinese characters and on the 2 columns of the front row are 2 dragon heads holding pearls facing the altar. Inside the worship house, the trusses, rafters... are elaborately carved with stylized cloud and leaf motifs and elaborate patterns.

The harem is a 3-room, 2-wing house with a mixed structure, the wooden frame is beautifully carved with traditional themes such as the four sacred animals, the four seasons... showing the talent and skillful hands of the ancient artisans. Each line is a complete 2-sided miniature work with vivid patterns and images such as carp transforming into a dragon, kylin, phoenix, turtle swimming in a lotus pond...

The roof trusses, pillars, pedestals... are all elaborately carved on both sides, creating perfect works. Standing in any room in the temple, you can feel the beauty of wood carving art. The difference on the 2 roof trusses is that each truss has 2 more dragon heads holding pearls facing the center.

Through the ups and downs of history, the temple still retains its ancient beauty; the location of the relic has not changed, and basically still retains the structures with sophisticated and unique carvings.

Currently, Duc Hoang Temple only has 3 structures: the three-door gate, the worshiping house and the sanctuary, now arranged along a vertical axis. Over time, Duc Hoang Temple has deteriorated, the upper and lower buildings need to be preserved, restored and repaired.

With the wishes of the people, a son of the homeland has worked with the local government to apply for permission to renovate, upgrade and repair items in the temple with the amount of 3 billion 950 million VND. In addition, officials and people supported 150 working days to dismantle and re-tile. Up to now, the temple has been completed and put into use, attracting people and tourists to come and offer incense and visit./.