Stories about the legendary Bach Dang victory
The geographical location of the temple is located in a complex of historical sites stretching across Quang Yen town and Uong Bi city, where the heroic relics of the resistance war against the Chinese - Mongols are preserved, contributing to one of the most resounding victories in the nation's history.
This complex includes locations such as Yen Giang depot, Van Muoi depot, Ma Ngua depot, Tran Hung Dao temple, Vua Ba temple, Rung boat dock, Yen Giang communal house, Trung Ban communal house and Den Cong communal house. Trung Coc Temple is a place for people to worship and commemorate two national heroes against foreign invaders, Hung Dao Dai Vuong Tran Quoc Tuan, the national treasure of the treasure trove, along with the famous general Pham Ngu Lao, who had many contributions in the historic battle of Bach Dang.
In addition, the temple also worships famous generals such as: Yet Kieu, Da Tuong, and the two daughters of Tran Hung Dao, De Nhat Quyen Thanh princess and De Nhi Dai Hoang princess - figures that are respected by the people as symbols of patriotism and ironalty.
The Trung Coc Temple is not only a spiritual destination but also a place to commemorate the great event in the history of our nation's fight against foreign invaders. The legend of the temple bears the mark of Tran Hung Dao and Pham Ngu Lao in the Bach Dang river area.
According to legend, during the days of preparing for the decisive battle on the Bach River. Every year, 1288, Tran Hung Dao and famous general Pham Ngu Lao used boats to patrol the terrain, urged soldiers and directed the placement of stakes to create a dangerous situation to stop the invading army of the highlands - Mongolia.
While traveling by water, the two men's boat ran aground on a c laying ground in Dong Coc village. Fishermen in the area quickly came to the rescue, helping towing boats through the dangerous area.
This place has since become a special historical site, passed down and remembered by the people for many generations. After the resounding victory on the Bach Dang River, to commemorate the events and contributions of the two heroes, the local people built a temple right on the ancient mound - called Trung Coc temple.
In particular, Trung Coc Temple was built next to Van Muoi pile beach, part of the original part of the ancient naval line. Here, the folk of Ha Nam Island still chanted the story of Tran Hung Dao and the generals using Yen Giang pile and thousands of salt piles ... like the "iron traps" spread the net to destroy the enemy, causing the Nguyen enemy's warship to be bogged down, fight to exhausted and be destroyed and captured all.
Outstanding architecture, festivals and cultural values
The architecture of the temple is built on a high mound of Dong Coc village, located with an important feng shui and historical element: The South borders the residential area of Dong Coc village, the East adjacent to the large rice field, including the Dong Kinh Dong area - where the second largest ancient pile beach is in the Bach Dang Monuments complex, playing a strategic role in creating the Water War Insurance in 1288.
The temple was initially made of simple paintings, then built with stone, and in the 6th year of Gia Long (1807) the temple was rebuilt. Up to now, the temple has undergone many restorations, most recently in July 2011, after more than a year of construction, the new temple was completed.
The temple was built in the Dinh style, facing the Southeast, consisting of two main parts: Tien Duong and Hau Cung. Tien Duong consists of three compartments, two bades, built in the style of a stele, traditional structure, on the headrest are simple and sturdy wooden crossbars carved with carving.
In the middle of Tien Duong, there is a gilded wooden incense burner, on which there is a incense burner, a tray of incense and two wooden incense bottles. In front of the incense table is a ceremony table, where offerings are offered on important occasions, with two sides hanging a pair of verses praising the merits of Tran Hung Dao, expressing the deep admiration of the people.
The rear of the temple consists of 3 rooms behind, with a traditional tiled roof. Although this room does not have a structure because of the beam, it is supported by a system of planks, rui, and sturdy wooden boxes. In the back of the palace, there are statues worshiping Hung Dao Dai Vuong Tran Quoc Tuan and Pham Ngu Lao, both painted with solemn gold.
Notable here are the ancient vs. vs. vs., passed down through many generations: Mr. Tran Lam Lam Than Thanh at sat Thai Hon Chong Du (roughly translated: Long Son helps the Tran Cong family to be big; The sword that kills the Nguyen Duong Duong is still famous).
In addition to the worship statue, the harem also preserves many precious ancient ordinances of Vietnamese feudal dynasties, affirming the sacred stature and the position of the temple in the local spiritual cultural life. Among them are the ordination of the King Gia Long Phong for Hung Dao Dai Vuong, who is the Thuong Than of the National An Dan and the National Guard to protect the people, and the ordinations of King Tu Duc and Duy Tan for the children of Tran Hung Dao.
The decorative art of the temple stands out with familiar topics such as: Tu Linh (Long, Lan, Quy, Phuong), cloudy dragon motifs, stylized leaves, showing the ingenuity of local artisans. Outside the temple, there was a big picture illustrating the historic Bach Dang victory in 1288, contributing to enriching the artistic and historical value of the monument.
The festival at Trung Coc Temple takes place every year on the 8th of the third lunar month, and at the same time with other localities in the area to organize the Tran Hung Dao Memorial Festival and victory over Bach Dang. This is an opportunity for people to show respect and pride in the tradition of fighting foreign invaders.
During the festival, the traditional boat racing activity on the Bach Dang River is a highlight, attracting a large number of people and tourists to participate. The race not only has a sporting and festival significance but is also a form of recreating the martial arts of the Tran Dynasty's military and people under the command of Hung Dao Dai Vuong.
In addition, there are also folk games such as: Swallowing, competitions, chicken fighting, shrimp competition, eye-catching fish slashing, Sum singing, boat and boat singing, rice blowing competition, elephant breeding, elephant man competition, betel playing competition, flag-playing competition, tug of war, stick pushing... In 2021, Bach Dang festival was recognized as a National Intangible Cultural Heritage, contributing to preserving and promoting the traditional values of the nation.
