The resting place of the chief eunuch under the reign of King Le and Lord Trinh

Pham Don Nghi's Road to Fame

Pham Don Nghi was born into a family of 6 siblings, he was the second child in the family. His original surname was Nguyen, his father was Nguyen Quy Cong, his mother was Pham Quy Thi, his uncle was Pham Man Truc (a military general - Chief Eunuch); in the year of Giap Tuat (1694), he changed his surname to Pham of his mother.

Pham Don Nghi's official career began to rise when he was 33 years old and was assigned to serve the Queen Mother. At the age of 37, he was promoted to the position of Right De, at the age of 38, he became the Left Thieu Giam, and after holding the position for less than a year, he was promoted to the position of Tri Lenh Su Nhat Phien; promoted to Thieu Giam, with the title of Marquis. When he was 41 years old, he was promoted to Tri Lenh Su, concurrently Thi Hau Nhat, in charge of the boat fleets, then continued to be promoted to Do Thai Giam, Tong Thai Giam, and Thiem Tri Thi Noi Thu Ta Hinh Phien.

When Pham Don Nghi was 47 years old, he was allowed by the king to assist him and was awarded the title of Tuyen Luc Cong Than, the title of Quan Cong (from then on, the people of his hometown called him Pham Quan Cong), promoted to the position of Commander of the provinces: Hai Duong, Kinh Bac and became the Governor of Son Tay. At the age of 49, he was promoted to the position of Deputy Admiral, then a year later he was promoted to the position of Do Hieu Diem and then to Thieu Bao. When he was 51 years old, he was appointed to the position of Tri Thi Noi Thu Ta Hinh Phien, temporarily holding the position of Pho De Linh Tu Thanh Quan Vu Su, concurrently holding the position of Commander of the Dong Bac province and Governor of An Son province. A year later he continued to be promoted to Thieu Pho and the Governor of Son Tay province.

The site still preserves two stone steles recording information and achievements of Pham Don Nghi. The first stele was erected in the 15th year of Canh Hung (1754), under the reign of King Le Hien Tong, the stele is named "Pham Cong Gia Pha Bi Ky"; the stele clearly records the genealogy, the history of the Pham family and the biography of Duke Pham Don Nghi. The second stele was erected in the 3rd year of Long Duc (1734) under the reign of King Le Thuan Tong. On the front and back of the stele, there is clearly recorded information about Duke Pham Don Nghi being elected by the people as a god and a Buddha to worship, which clearly stipulates the worship and memorial service for him.

The first tomb architecture and sculpture

In the Hanoi area today, there are only two intact tombs: the tomb of Quan Van Do Ba Pham and the tomb of Quan Cong Pham Don Nghi. Of which, the stone tomb of Pham Don Nghi is considered one of the tombs with the most unique and sophisticated architectural decoration in the Northern Delta region.

The mausoleum of Duke Pham Don Nghi was built on a spacious, high land facing the southwest. Previously, the mausoleum was built with a solid laterite wall. The mausoleum was created along an axis, the spiritual path leading from the south to the north, the outer yard was planted with trees to create a green space. The yard in front of the front house has 2 remaining stone steles, built in the form of a dome. Going through the yard is the front house, which was started by the Pham family in 1999, the house has 5 rooms, is the place for worshiping on every Tet holiday. Behind the front house is a very small yard leading to the main mausoleum of Duke Pham Don Nghi.

The main tomb area has kept its original architecture since its construction, the outside is surrounded by a laterite wall, the main gate faces southwest, all other structures of the tomb are made of green stone. In front of the gate are two water tanks made of monolithic stone, next to the entrance are two elaborately crafted stone dog statues. The stone dogs are shaped to sit upright, their hind legs bent, their front legs standing, their faces facing forward, with bells around their necks; parts such as: ears, eyes, nose, mouth, and fangs are meticulously carved.

The entrance to the mausoleum area is low, so you have to bend down when passing through; the door is made of 3 stone slabs, including 2 pillars and 1 horizontal beam above supporting the roof. The stone slab above the gate is carved with 3 words "Hien Linh Tu", the upper part is made of laterite to create a gate roof; the two stone slabs supporting the pillars are carved with a pair of parallel sentences.

Going straight along the spiritual axis into the mausoleum, first are 2 pairs of horse and guard statues standing side by side, placed symmetrically with each other. The statue pairs are created at a 1:1 ratio compared to real people, bearing the typical folk art style of the 18th century. Continuing along the vertical axis, past the 2 pairs of horse and guard statues are 2 altars. The upper part of the altar is decorated with geometric motifs, down to the altar surround, which is combined with nested diamond patterns. The altar legs are created in the style of fish-belly kneeling legs, this is a familiar leg style often seen in types such as beds, incense tables, altar cabinets...

Next to the two altars are two steles, also placed symmetrically. The stele houses are made of stone slabs, made in the style of a four-roofed dragon pavilion, with the word "Van" carved on the roof ridge - a symbol of Buddhism. The stele houses have four doors facing four directions, created in the form of a dome door; supporting the roof above are four pillars below, made square, the main face of the two pillars is carved with a pair of parallel sentences; from the door looking in, you can see two reliefs with different shapes and styles, the reliefs are carved skillfully and meticulously, bearing the typical artistic beauty of the Le Trung Hung period. Inside each stele house is a rectangular stone stele carved from a single block of stone, the border of the stele is also decorated with floral motifs and cloud patterns.

Connected along the main axis, behind the altar is the main shrine of Duke Pham Don Nghi. The shrine is made of large stone slabs, shaped like a four-roofed dragon pavilion with a long ridge, the roof edge is slightly curved; the two ends of the clamp are shaped like dragons. From the two East and West sides of the shrine, a row of laterite stones is built running horizontally outward to separate the space between the mausoleum area and the grave of Pham Don Nghi.

The tomb area is located in the middle of the space behind the mausoleum along the spiritual path. The tomb is made of large green stone slabs, rectangular in shape, stepped and gradually curved inwards, with the three words "Tuong Cong Mo" engraved on the surface. Around the tomb are planted many green trees, fruit trees and flowers, shading the entire tomb.