Restoration and upgrading of the temple of famous general Duong Tu Minh

The restoration, embellishment and upgrading of Duom Temple (in Dong Dat Commune, Phu Luong) not only enhances and promotes the value of the relic, but also aims to ensure the safety of people and tourists who come to practice their beliefs and visit the landscape. Therefore, activities related to this relic are of great interest and support to the local government, the majority of people in the area and tourists.

Duom Temple Festival is one of the important festivals in Thai Nguyen.

Located at the foot of Duom mountain, Dong Dat commune (Phu Luong), with a total planning area of ​​over 39 hectares, of which the National Historical Site of Duom temple is 31.6 hectares wide; Trinh temple is 3.6 hectares wide; Chuong Lan pond is 0.76 hectares wide; Doi well is 1.6 hectares wide; Khuan temple is 1.8 hectares wide.

According to legend, the temple was built by local people in 1180 to worship the famous general Duong Tu Minh - who had great merit in reclaiming land from the Song invaders and firmly protecting the northern border of Dai Viet.

The temple was built in the East Asian architectural style, with three levels: the Upper Temple is the place to worship Mother Earth; the Middle Temple worships the Royal Son-in-law Duong Tu Minh; the Lower Temple is the two shrines to worship Princess Dien Binh and Princess Thieu Dung - the two wives of the famous general Duong Tu Minh.

With its importance, in 1993, Duom Temple was recognized as a National Historical Relic by the Ministry of Culture and Sports; in 2017, Duom Temple Festival was included in the List of National Intangible Cultural Heritage by the Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism.

According to the elders in the area: Before 1980, the historical site of Duom Temple did not have many construction items, including only the Middle Temple with an area of ​​40m2 and the Lower Temple which is the shrine of 2 princesses (15m2). The items were made simply with bamboo pillars and roofs thatched with palm leaves. Other worship areas were mainly incense sticks or incense bowls.

Time and nature are harsh, the main construction materials are wood and natural leaves, so the Temple is damaged and degraded, the local people have to repair it every year to organize ceremonies on January 5 and 6.

In just over 40 years (from 1980 to 2023), the local government and people in the area have restored and embellished the Temple 9 times. In the 1993 restoration, the three-entrance gate was invested in and built according to the Ly Dynasty architecture.

From socialized sources, each time the relic is restored and embellished, it is expanded and built with better materials. However, the construction materials selected for the project do not ensure historical and chronological factors. Moreover, the overall scale of the relic requires a systematic and scientific investment in construction, suitable for the architecture, ensuring historical value, worthy of the value of the relic worshiping Saint Duom.

All funding for the restoration, embellishment, new construction and expansion of the Temple has come from social sources. However, due to the "wherever the wick goes, the oil goes there", the construction, renovation, embellishment and basic repair items are temporary in nature, not achieving long-term durability, lacking uniformity, affecting the overall aesthetics of the Monument.

A section of the National Historical Site of Duom Temple will be restored at the end of 2024.

According to the survey results of the professional agency, the current status of construction items such as: Mau Thuong Ngan Temple; Thuong Temple; Trung Temple; the palaces of the princesses; Nieng communal house; bell tower; guest house; public house and other construction items in the Relic have basically degraded, subsided, cracked, leaked, and are at risk of collapsing.

To ensure the safety of the people and visitors coming to worship, sightsee and perform rituals safely, and at the same time to preserve the sacred objects at the Temple from being damaged, the restoration and embellishment of Duom Temple Relic is urgent and important; it needs to be urgently implemented, meeting the requirements and aspirations of the people, bringing many common benefits to society.

Therefore, the local government and relevant agencies have actively implemented the steps according to regulations. The items being renovated and embellished this time include: Thuong Temple; Trung Temple (the main worship area of ​​the Relic); 2 shrines worshiping the two princesses; bell tower; fence area, and landscape of the Relic.

All items are renovated, more majestic, more magnificent and designed and built according to the original architecture of the Ly Dynasty. The construction materials are durable. The total construction cost from socialized sources is about 22 billion VND.

The restoration and embellishment of the Temple is extremely necessary, meeting the expectations of the people in the area. Therefore, the construction unit's initiation has attracted public attention. Hundreds of local people came to help the Management Board clean up the site, move the sacred objects for the ceremony and the property of the Relic to safe locations, avoiding loss, breakage, and damage.

This restoration and embellishment promises to make the Relic more worthy of its historical value. The temple of Saint Duom still stands majestically at the foot of Duom Mountain, facing the vast fields, with mountains in the distance resembling flying swallows, creating a poetic and majestic landscape of the Relic.

Source: https://baothainguyen.vn/thoi-su-thai-nguyen/202503/ton-tao-nang-cap-di-tichden-tho-danh-tuong-duong-tu-minh-09d31fa/