The sacred temple on Tan Son land
(Baonghean) - Khai Long Temple in Tan Son Commune, Do Luong District is a cultural and spiritual work of the people in the region. The temple was built during the Le Trung Hung period (1533 - 1788) to worship Khai Long god Ngo Xuong Xi, a historical figure who contributed to the people and the country in the 10th century.
According to legend, Ngo Xuong Xi was born around 945-950, he was one of the 12 warlords of the Later Ngo Dynasty. He was also the grandson of Ngo Quyen, a talented hero recorded in history books as "handsome, eyes bright as lightning, walking leisurely like a tiger, intelligent and brave, strong enough to lift a cauldron".
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| View of Khai Long Temple. Photo: Ngoc Phuong |
In 965, Ngo Xuong Xi took over military power, but at this time, forces were rising up everywhere. During the time when warlord Ngo Xuong Xi was guarding Binh Kieu (Thieu Son, Thanh Hoa), he often went back and forth to Chau Hoan (ie Nghe An) to recruit more soldiers. Wherever he went, he helped and protected the lives of the people, so he was trusted and admired by the people of Chau Hoan. The Tan Son - Do Luong area today (about 140 km south of Binh Kieu base) was also the base for training troops and storing food for warlord Ngo Xuong Xi.
The people here consider Ngo Xuong Xi as a king, an envoy who often traveled all over Chau Hoan land to protect the lives of all the people here. Therefore, the people here are grateful and built a temple to worship him. The appearance of the temple to worship Ngo Xuong Xi in Hoan Chau land affirms the great influence of the warlord Ngo Xuong Xi on the land of Chau Ai, Chau Hoan (Thanh Hoa, Nghe An today).
According to the book “History of the Party and people of Tan Son commune, Do Luong district” and the stories of the elderly in the village: Through historical periods, Khai Long temple has made many contributions to the cause of building and defending the country. From 1946 to 1947, in response to the popular education movement, the people of Duy Tan commune (now Tan Son commune) organized many classes at Khai Long temple.
In 1949, Khai Long Temple was the place where the Duy Tan Commune Party Congress took place and where the district's cadre training classes were opened, named Le Hong Phong School. From 1953 to 1958, the Duy Tan Commune Truth Party cell held activities at the temple. In 1957, Khai Long Temple was the place where the Vietnamese Government's resistance bonds were sold.
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| Local elders perform a worship ritual at Khai Long Temple. Photo: Ngoc Phuong |
Khai Long Temple is a large and sacred temple. This is a place for spiritual and cultural activities of local people and neighboring areas. Every year, many important ceremonies take place at the temple such as: Khai Ha ceremony, Thuong Nguyen ceremony, Trung Nguyen ceremony, Ha Nguyen ceremony, Thuong Tan ceremony... but the biggest is the village festival which takes place on the 7th day of the first lunar month. The festival is held every 3 years in a cycle of the years Ty - Ngo - Mao - Dau. This is a village festival that has been maintained since ancient times.
After many historical changes, the temple was demolished. In 2014, the local government, people and philanthropists contributed to restore and embellish the relic. In December 2017, Khai Long Temple was recognized as a provincial historical relic by the Provincial People's Committee.
Currently, the local government and people are gradually restoring festival activities at the relic to serve the spiritual and cultural enjoyment needs of the people and tourists./.