Visit the place of worship of Mother Goddess Au Co to hear ancient stories

(Baonghean.vn) - Located next to the coastal city of Cua Lo, Nghi Khanh commune (Nghi Loc) is entering the tourist season these days. This rural area is starting to take on the appearance of an urban area but still retains the features of a traditional village, a place that contains many historical relics, and is home to the temple of Mother Au Co.

About Long Dong ancient village

Long Dong is a purely agricultural village of Nghi Khanh commune (Nghi Loc), with a history of hundreds of years, the ancient banyan tree at the entrance of the village is a "witness". The village elders said that the banyan tree has existed for a long time, when they were children they saw the banyan tree standing tall at the entrance of the village. The banyan tree was planted since the village was founded, over hundreds of years it has witnessed many ups and downs of life.

Not far away, there is a large well located next to the village road. The well wall is made of large, flat, square, sharp-edged stones, which have been covered with moss for hundreds of years, and the bottom is made of stones taken from the sea. Like the banyan tree and To Ac temple, Long Dong village well has existed for a long time, used to be a place for community activities, providing clean water for the village.

Under the banyan tree is a mound of earth lined with stones, which is the vestige of the To Ac Temple, where To Ac Dai Vuong is worshiped. Legend has it that there was once a poor student who was always determined to study hard. One day, while climbing a banyan tree to catch a crow's nest, unfortunately, a strong wind blew and he fell down and died. Immediately, the termites formed a grave, and the villagers found it sacred so they built a temple, named To Ac Temple (crow's nest) to remember the story of the poor student.

The walls of the ancient well are made of large, flat-cut stone slabs. The bottom is made of stones taken from the sea.

According to historical sources, Nghi Khanh land was formerly the sea, over thousands of years with the sea advancing and retreating several times, creating mountains, alluvial plains and sand dunes interspersed with swamps and creeks. People from everywhere came here to reclaim, the genealogies of the long-standing families clearly state that in the early 14th century, this land was still quite wild, the population was still sparse, later the families came here to gather.

Visit the temple of Mother Au Co

From Long Dong, we headed to Khanh Den village, where Cua Temple worships Mother Au Co, recognized by the Provincial People's Committee as a historical and cultural relic. The space exudes peace and tranquility, surrounded by prosperous villages and lush green corn and rice fields. Cua Temple is the "highlight" of the ancient and sacred beauty of Khanh Den village.

The solemn and sacred features of Cua Temple - the place to worship Mother Au Co.

The temple is located in a beautiful location, facing the Southeast, consisting of 3 buildings: the upper, middle and lower temples. For generations, people have believed that Cua Temple is the place where the sacred energy of mountains and rivers is concentrated, the place where the luck of a region converges. Therefore, the temple still preserves the parallel sentence: "Thanh cung van tue tinh than tai/ Thuong Xa uc nien tu khi ton" (The temple worships the holy gods forever/ The noble energy of Thuong Xa is forged forever).

The temple genealogy clearly states that during the Tran Dynasty, the court sent General Tran Quang Khai to the remote border region of Nghe An to establish a base to block the water route of the invading Yuan-Mongol army. When the boat reached Cua port, seeing the majestic mountains, sea and sky, as a general with an artistic soul and a strategic eye, Tran Quang Khai immediately ordered the establishment of a camp.

Singing Vi Giam to invite friends at the 2015 Temple Festival. Photo: Thanh Chung

With the determination to repel the invaders, the Tran Dynasty soldiers practiced martial arts day and night, their reputation spread throughout the regions. To keep the soldiers steadfast in the remote border areas, Tran Quang Khai built a temple to worship the mother of the country Au Co at Cua wharf, as a spiritual "support", at the same time reminding and encouraging everyone about the Lac Hong lineage, about the tradition of building and defending the country.

Tran Quan Khai defeated the Yuan-Mongol army that entered our country by water, contributing to the resounding victory of the Tran Dynasty, affirming the strength, spirit and intelligence of Dai Viet. Later, clans came here to reclaim land, establish villages, and people continued to restore and care for Cua Temple so that Mother Goddess Au Co could protect and bless them with a peaceful life.

The tug of war competition recalls the heroic spirit of the Tran Dynasty kings and their subjects fighting against the Yuan-Mongol invaders. Photo: TC

Later, Nghi Khanh people also worshiped Cao Son Cao Cac god; Tam Toa Thanh Mau; Chieu Minh Vuong Tran Quang Khai; General Ninh Ve; Duke Nguyen Canh Que and Confucian scholar Phung Thoi Ta. During the Nghe Tinh Soviet movement, Cua temple was the shelter of two revolutionary soldiers, two outstanding sons of their homeland, Nguyen Duy Trinh and Hoang Van Tam.

Located in Nghi Khanh commune, Cua temple is not far from Cua Lo town, surrounded by many famous historical relics such as Nguyen Xi temple, Nguyen Su Hoi temple, very convenient for tourists to come and admire, understand more about the history of a countryside.

Cong Kien