According to ancient legends, in the 17th century, the brilliant geographer Sai Nai, after an expedition at sea, visited Phu Quy Island and concluded that it was a sacred island, so he wanted it to be his final resting place.
Restoration and preservation of the Sai Nai Temple relic.
Việt Nam•18/03/2025Therefore, six days and nights after his death, a fleet of ships from the north arrived at the island and fulfilled Sai Nai's last wish to be buried there in the dead of night. Another legend says that Sai Nai was a skilled physician who visited the island after a storm. He stayed on the island, practicing medicine and healing people, so when he died, the islanders buried him and erected a tomb and temple in his honor. Whether he was a brilliant geographer or a skilled doctor who saved people in distress, the islanders held immense faith and respect for Sai Nai. That's why the people of Phu Quy Island erected a tombstone and built a temple to commemorate him, considering him a divine being. Fishermen on the island recount that many times when their boats got stuck on reefs, and even large ships couldn't pull them out, the families would bring offerings to the master's tomb, pray, and ask for help, and the boats would be safely pulled out of the reefs.
The Nguyen Dynasty kings bestowed eight royal decrees upon Master Sai Nai, which were successively preserved by the people of nine villages in three communes of Phu Quy district. Every year, on the Master's anniversary, the 4th day of the 4th lunar month, people from all the villages on the island organize processions to bring the royal decrees from their place of safekeeping to the temple for worship. The temple dedicated to Master Sai Nai is a historical and cultural site, reflecting the cultural exchange and interaction between the Vietnamese and Chinese people during their coexistence in the island region. It also showcases the beauty of the folk culture of the Phu Quy community from the past to the present. For over 300 years, it has been cared for, restored, and maintained by successive generations on the island, who have performed the rituals and ceremonies. With the tangible and intangible cultural values that have been preserved to this day, the People's Committee of Binh Thuan province recognized the Sai Nai Temple as a provincial-level historical and cultural relic in Decision No. 1993/QD-UBND dated September 7, 2010.
The architectural complex of the Sai Nai temple (Ngu Phung commune) includes the following elements: the main gate, flagpole, screen wall, performance hall, and main hall. The main orientation of the temple faces southwest. The main gate, performance hall, and main hall are basically architecturally similar to communal houses and temples, such as: a three-arched gate, a square building with four roofs, and the roof peaks decorated with reliefs of dragons, phoenixes, flowers, and leaves…
The main hall's interior features three altars: the central altar, a brightly painted and gilded wooden structure dedicated to Master Sai Nai, with the word "God" inscribed in the center; the left altar dedicated to the Ancestors; and the right altar dedicated to the Later Generations, both identically constructed. The altar canopies are carved with motifs of two dragons vying for a pearl, birds and animals, plum blossoms, orchids, chrysanthemums, bamboo, floral patterns, and couplets in Han Nom script. However, due to the passage of time and the ravages of war, the temple dedicated to Master Sai Nai had deteriorated. Therefore, in early 2023, the Department of Planning and Investment approved a project to restore and renovate the temple with an investment of 2,998 million VND from lottery funds. Now, the temple complex is spacious and impressive. Every day, visitors from all over come to visit, learn about, and light incense in remembrance of Master Sai Nai.
N. HOI
Source: https://baobinhthuan.com.vn/trung-tu-ton-tao-di-tich-den-tho-thay-sai-nai-128674.html
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