Restoration and embellishment of the tomb of the Tay Son Three Heroes: Contributing to preserving and promoting the value of the relic

Earlier this year, the Provincial People's Committee approved the investment policy for the project to restore and embellish the provincial-level relic of the Tay Son Tam Kiet Tomb in Phu Lac village, Binh Thanh commune (Tay Son district) to overcome the state of degradation, create a solemn landscape, contribute to preserving and promoting the value of the relic associated with tourism.

At the Go Lang relic (ranked as a national relic on November 16, 1988) in Phu Lac village, Binh Thanh commune (Tay Son district), besides the temple of the parents of the Tay Son Tam Kiet, there are many other relics related to the Tay Son dynasty, such as the stele and the ancient tomb of the grandfather of the Tay Son Tam Kiet, currently on display at the Quang Trung Museum.

The restoration of the Tomb of the Tay Son Three Heroes ensures the original architectural structure of the tomb is kept intact. Photo: NGOC NHUAN

In 1990, in a rice field about 15 meters from the ancient tomb, local people discovered a stone stele buried deep underground. The stele was carved from a large stone slab measuring 1.25 meters high, 0.68 meters wide and 0.13 meters thick; the stele's surface is engraved with Chinese characters, the content of the middle line: Viet co Hoang hien to khao Cuong nghi Muu luoc Minh triet cong chi lang (Tomb of the grandfather of the Vietnamese king, a man of integrity, strategy and wisdom); the small line on the left: Tue thu Ky Hoi, trong xuan, coc nhat (Good day in February, year of Ky Hoi); the line on the right: Ngu che (Established by the King).

Around the border of the stele are embossed images of four five-clawed dragons following each other, the two dragons above are carved in the shape of "two dragons fighting for a pearl", the bottom of the stele is carved with wavy patterns. From the stele, the local people determined the connection with an ancient tomb located nearby, about 200 m southeast of the Go Lang relic. The tomb is located in the North-South direction, with a "turtle head above, citadel below" shape, built of lime and mortar, the tomb body is 1.6 m long, has an inner wall, an outer wall and traces of a third wall.

From the discovered tombstone and the evidence of the Tay Son family tree and historical events, researchers determined that the stele belonged to the tomb of the Hien To Khao (grandfather) of the Tay Son Tam Kiet, which was established by King Thai Duc Nguyen Nhac on a good day in February of the year Ky Hoi (1779). The tomb of the Hien To Khao Tay Son Tam Kiet was ranked as a provincial-level relic by the Provincial People's Committee on December 13, 2012.

Mr. Nguyen Dong Chi, deputy of the Tay Son Tam Kiet Temple's ritual committee, said: "Every year on the 14th day of the 11th lunar month, Quang Trung Museum organizes the death anniversary of the Tay Son Tam Kiet's parents. Members of the ritual committee will go to the tomb of the Tay Son Tam Kiet's ancestors to offer gifts, burn incense, and pray to express gratitude, remember the merits of ancestors, and educate the people about patriotism and the morality of drinking water and remembering its source."

Earlier this year, the Provincial People's Committee approved the investment policy for the project to restore and embellish the provincial-level relic of the Tomb of the Tay Son Three Heroes, with a total investment of more than 6.3 billion VND. The project will be implemented from 2025 to 2026, with the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism as the investor, including many items: Lowering the railing wall, concrete foundation, and degraded monument stele; building 4 new entrance pillars; building a new stele house; filling the ground around the tomb; building a system of stone railings, screens, incense burners; green tree system, drainage, electricity, etc.

Mr. Nguyen Van Tan, Deputy Director in charge of Quang Trung Museum, said: "The project to restore and embellish the tomb of the Tay Son Tam Kiet ancestor will move the stone stele of the tomb, which has long been displayed at Quang Trung Museum, to re-attach it to the tomb and restore a tombstone to display at the museum to serve tourists to visit and learn about the heroic Tay Son dynasty in history books."

Currently, this project has been and is being implemented by the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism according to the approved project, ensuring technical and aesthetic quality and progress.

Ms. Do Thi Dieu Hanh, Director of the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism, said: The renovation, restoration and embellishment of the Tomb of the Tay Son Three Heroes ensures the intact architectural structure of the original tomb, restores damaged details to the original; upgrades and embellishes to create a solemn landscape. Thereby, contributing to the management, preservation and promotion of the value of the relic, adding more destinations for the public to visit and learn about the history and culture of Binh Dinh.

DOAN NGOC NHUAN

Source: https://baobinhdinh.vn/viewer.aspx?macm=18&macmp=18&mabb=342996