Located on a land rich in cultural sediments, accumulated with alluvium from the Ma River and Chu River, Dong Hoang Commune (Dong Son) has a community of people who formed and established villages and opened up land very early. One of the few characters mentioned many times in the history books of this land is General Phan Doc Giac.
The temple of General Phan Doc Giac is under restoration and embellishment.
According to the genealogy of the Hoang Duong camp's Phuc Than, Phan Doc Giac had an unusual appearance when he was born, with eyes as bright as jade, lips as red as vermillion, a swallow-shaped jaw, high cheekbones, a fleshy horn on his head, a voice like a bell, and an unusually tall body. Even at a young age, he was already proficient in literature and had excellent martial arts skills. Therefore, the people of Hoang Duong camp and the surrounding area worshiped and called him the Divine General.
When the Champa invaders invaded our country, facing the enemy's strength, King Ly Thai Tong had to personally lead troops to fight. The night before the army set out, the king dreamed of a five-colored cloud floating by, in which was a one-horned god sent by the Jade Emperor to fight the enemy and save the country. The king sent to find and invite him to the capital, giving him 10,000 soldiers and 1 elephant to go to battle.
Defeating the Champa invaders, capturing the enemy general and bringing him back to the king, Doc Giac was rewarded with 1,000 pounds of gold and silver and 1,000 quan of money each. He was also appointed Governor General and given the title of Hung Dung Quan Cong.... The gold and silver given by the king was distributed and rewarded to the people of Hoang Duong camp as capital to buy fields and repair houses.
He served as an official for 10 years, then continued to fight in the battlefield. When he returned home, on the 10th day of the 3rd lunar month, he arrived at Phung Thien Palace, suddenly the sky and earth darkened, 3 thunders exploded, people saw a spark of fire flying straight to the sky from his body.
In gratitude to a man who devoted himself to the country, the king deified him as Van co phuc than du dong huu (eternal blessings exist with the country); allowed Hoang Duong camp to build a temple and deify him.
These stories may be covered with a layer of mystery, but they are always a source of pride for the people of Cam Tu village, Dong Hoang commune to tell to future generations.
Especially when Mr. Nguyen Van Hung, the head of Cam Tu village, introduced that: Through the feudal dynasties, Phan Doc Giac temple had 21 royal decrees. Over time, despite great efforts to preserve them, there are only 17 royal decrees left. Specifically, there is 1 royal decree from King Le Gia Tong, 1 royal decree from Vinh Khanh, 1 royal decree from Vinh Thinh, 1 royal decree from Chinh Hoa, 7 royal decrees from Canh Hung, 3 royal decrees from King Thieu Tri, 1 royal decree from King Tu Duc, 1 royal decree from King Dong Khanh, 1 royal decree from King Duy Tan... along with a number of other valuable artifacts.
17 royal decrees are preserved by the people of Cam Tu village.
In memory of his merits, the 10th day of the 3rd lunar month every year is also the day that Cam Tu village in particular and Dong Hoang village in general organize a festival on a large scale. The festival lasts for 3 days at the temple; offerings include sticky rice, white wine, yellow beef... During the festival, games such as human chess, opera, rice cooking contest, and tug of war are very popular with the people.
“January is the happiest month of the year. After the Chuong market, which is held once a year for luck and misfortune on the 6th of January, on the 7th, people flock to watch the wrestling festival,” Mr. Nguyen Van Hung added.
We were led by Mr. Nguyen Van Hung to tour around Phan Doc Giac temple on an area of over 2,000m2. Around, the countryside and ancient village scenes are still there, in front is a very large fish pond, right at the temple gate is a banyan tree hundreds of years old casting its shadow. The only thing is that the temple is in the process of being dismantled for restoration, the altar to worship the god is also placed solemnly elsewhere.
"More than 30 years ago, on August 7, 1993, the Phan Doc Giac temple was restored by the people of Cam Tu village with money, materials and labor. In January 2015, the temple was recognized as a provincial cultural relic. After many years, the temple was seriously degraded, all items needed repair. To meet the spiritual needs of the people, this year, we are very happy that with the support of the state, the temple has begun to be repaired and embellished," said Ms. Nguyen Thi Chuc, Vice Chairman of Dong Hoang Commune People's Committee.
Affirming the necessity of the relic, Mr. Le Xuan Nam, Chairman of the Commune People's Committee shared: "It is not by chance that the people of Dong Hoang commune worship Cao Son, Phan Doc Giac, the gods who sacrificed themselves to fight against foreign invaders and were honored by feudal dynasties. Through worshiping the gods to remind and educate children about the tradition of patriotism and love for their people has always been a source throughout and deep in the character of Dong Hoang people, of Dong Son land for centuries now".
Nearly 350 households in the village and the children of Dong Hoang in particular are very happy because the temple of General Phan Doc Giac has been repaired. Not hiding his emotions, Mr. Nguyen Van Hung, Head of Cam Tu village said: "Soon, we will be able to welcome him to his new house in a spacious and clean space. That joy is not only for the people living in the village but also for the children from far away who come back to warm their hearts".
Article and photos: HUYEN CHI
The article uses materials from the book History of Dong Hoang Commune Party Committee (1930-2020), Thanh Hoa Publishing House, 2020.
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