VietNamNet Bridge - Thanh Thu visits one of Tuyen Quang province’s most sacred temples which is dedicated to “Mother Worship”.

On busy days Ha Temple in Tuyen Quang province can seem as lively as a market.

Ha Temple is one of the most sacred spots in Tuyen Quang town in Tuyen Quang province and prior to visiting I learn from one local it is dedicated to a princess called Phuong Dung. Legend has it that once Phuong Dung and her sister Ngoc Lan were travelling leisurely down the Lo river on a wood sampan. As the sun began to set, the princesses decided to stop and rest.

That night a huge storm appeared and the two princesses soared up into the sky leaving nothing but a trail of bright lights behind them. Reacting to this strange omen the locals erected a shrine on the right bank of the river in honour of Phuong Dung and another shrine on the opposite side in honour of Ngoc Lan. But when we arrive at the temple the woman running the ‘de rigueur’ green tea stall outside tells us that the temple is dedicated to Lieu Hanh, one of Vietnam’s four immortal spirits, and the daughter of the Jade Emperor, the Lord of Heaven.

According to legend, after breaking a vase belonging to her father, Hanh was exiled from heaven and so she lived amongst the hoi polloi in a small hamlet in Nam Dinh province. Eventually, after she had served her time on earth, she returned to Heaven, but she had grown to love the small hamlet where she had lived and frequently she returned to help the locals avert disaster.

Why I ask Phi Thi Van, one of the temple caretakers, whether the temple is dedicated to Lieu Hanh or Phuong Dung, he replies both! Van explains that the temple is dedicated to Mother Worship. This cult traces its roots back to Vietnamese civilisation’s matriarchal origins. In the Middle Ages from 5th to 15th centuries, a number of temples and palaces were dedicated to Mother Worship. In Vietnam there are four mothers that are worshipped – Mother of Heaven, Mother of the Forest, Mother of the Sea and Mother Earth.

The cult has never been a religion and as a result, the practice of Mother Worship varies from place to place. In the south, for example, the religion has integrated the local goddesses such as Thien Y A Na in Hue city and Linh Son in Tay Ninh province.

Thien Y A Na is believed to be a Viet version of Cham people’s Por Nargar genie, who created earth, trees, forests, rice and maize and taught inhabitants how to farm. In Vietnamese culture she had great power and always protected the poor and vulnerable. The Goddess Linh Son, also known as Ba Den, is a genie that helps people in need. Ha Temple was built following the principles of phong thuy (feng shui) as it is located by a mountain and a river in a fairytale setting. The mountain protects the temple while the river embraces it.

In 1834 King Minh Mang ordered Le Van Duc, an official of the court, to travel to Tuyen Quang province to inspect the local waterways. When Le Van Duc approached the shrine of Phuong Dung suddenly a huge storm broke out. The boats were trapped in this foul weather. Remembering the legend of Phuong Dung and her sister the locals ran to the shrine to pray and make offerings.

Soon blue skies returned and the boats survived. Returning to the court, Duc recounted this story and the legend of Phuong Dung to the king, who ordered the immediate construction of a large temple on the foundation of the former shrine. In 1991 the temple was recognised as a national historical site. Every year, on the 11th day of the second lunar month and the seventh lunar month, a traditional ceremony is held there.

Its reputation as the most sacred temple in town means that on ritual days it feels like you are heading to a market. Aggressive traders flog incense, flowers and votive offerings. As so many families come here, you can find stalls flogging plastic made-in-China toys as well as lottery tickets, chewing gum, tea and medicinal herbs of no clear origin.

You will also find beer for sale at nearby restaurants cashing in on the thirsty crowds. On this most recent visit I paid six times the going rate for a cup of tea and double the normal price for a guide book. Mother, if she’s watching, must surely disapprove.

(Source: Timeout)