The sacred Tran Temple in Nam Dinh

Tran Temple in Nam Dinh (Loc Vuong Ward, Nam Dinh City) is a place of worship for 14 kings of the Tran dynasty, along with their families and the officials who served them. It is famous for its spring incense offering ceremony and the annual August festival (August 20th of the lunar calendar).

Along with Pho Minh Pagoda, Tran Temple is a representative and particularly important relic in the cultural heritage system of the Tran Dynasty in Nam Dinh and the whole country, and was ranked as a special national relic in 2012. The formation and existence of Tran Temple is closely linked to historical figures of the Tran Dynasty. Throughout their 175-year reign (1225-1400), the Tran Dynasty built Dai Viet into a prosperous nation with peaks in military prowess and governance, creating a brilliant culture and civilization. Therefore, within the Tran Temple complex, historical figures of the Tran Dynasty are revered and worshipped by the people, from the monarchs to the founding ancestors, queens, princesses, famous officials, and renowned generals.

The Tran Temple complex in Nam Dinh includes Thien Truong Temple, Co Trach Temple, and Trung Hoa Temple, all of similar style and scale. Beyond the five-gate entrance is a rectangular pond. In the center behind the pond is Thien Truong Temple.

Thien Truong Temple is located in the center of the Tran Dynasty's historical site in Nam Dinh. Built in 1694 on the site of the former Thai Mieu and Trung Quang Palace of the Tran Dynasty, the temple has undergone several renovations.

Thien Truong Temple is a place of worship for the Tran dynasty family. At the highest point are the ancestral tablets of the Tran kings.

A stone column base, characteristic of Tran Dynasty architecture, features a thick, robust lotus petal pattern at Thien Truong Temple.

The Co Trach Temple was built in 1894. An inscription records that in 1868, a broken piece of a stele was unearthed on the eastern side, bearing the words "Hung Dao Prince's Old House Foundation" (the former house foundation of Hung Dao King). Therefore, upon its completion in 1895, the temple was named Co Trach, a place of worship for Tran Hung Dao and his family and generals.

Several artifacts related to the Tran Dynasty are displayed at Trung Hoa Temple. Among them are drainage pipes and curved roof tiles found beneath the ground of the Tran Temple historical site.

The grounds of the Tran Temple historical site in Nam Dinh are shaded by lush green trees.

Tran Minh

Source: https://baoquangninh.vn/linh-thieng-den-tran-nam-dinh-3315004.html