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Dec 25, 2024 · 7 min read
Tran Temple Nam Dinh is a relic site worshiping 14 Tran Dynasty kings, their families and officials who contributed to the country. This place is famous for the Tran Temple Seal Opening Ceremony in early spring and the Tran Temple Festival in August. Every year, Tran Temple Nam Dinh attracts a large number of visitors from all over the country to attend the seal opening ceremony. To show gratitude to the Tran Kings and pray for good luck and prosperity.
Tran Nam Dinh Temple is a unique and sophisticated architectural work with profound historical value. Come with iguide.ai to this temple, you will feel the peace, solemnity and sacredness; participate in the unique "asking for an seal" festival to pray for luck.
History of the formation of Tran Temple in Nam Dinh:
The ancient Thien Truong Palace, now Tran Temple, is the place that preserves the mark of the Tran Dynasty. This is considered the second capital of Dai Viet after Thang Long citadel. In 1258, when the Yuan-Mongol army invaded our country for the first time. King Tran Thai Tong ordered the implementation of the "empty garden, empty house" strategy in Thang Long citadel. Our army and people retreated to Thien Truong Palace to mobilize the strength of the entire people.
Later, our army defeated the Yuan-Mongol army. On January 14 of that year, King Tran Thai Tong held a banquet and awarded titles to those who had contributed to the fight against the enemy at Thien Truong Palace. Since then, on this day, the "opening of the seal" ceremony was held here. On the festival day, the Tran kings worshiped their ancestors and gave them salaries and benefits. At the same time, it opened a new year for the Tran Dynasty.
Architecture of Tran Temple Nam Dinh:
The Tran Temple relic site in Nam Dinh includes three main structures: Thien Truong Temple, Co Trach Temple and Trung Hoa Temple. All three temples have similar designs and sizes. In front of the temple is a five-door gate. Through the gate is a clear rectangular lake. Behind the lake is Thien Truong Temple.
Time to visit Tran Temple Nam Dinh:
Every year, Tran Temple organizes two major festivals: the Tran Temple Seal Opening Ceremony in January and the Tran Temple Festival in August, attracting a large number of visitors. Every year, not only local people or people in the province but also tourists from all over the country come here, so it is difficult to avoid the crowded scene. The spring seal opening ceremony takes place from January 14 to 15. From the evening of the 14th, rituals such as carrying the seal box from Co Trach Palace to Thien Truong Temple begin, then the seal opening ceremony begins at Ty hour, ... For those who really want to ask for a seal, they should stay one night in the city to leave early the next day. The Tran Temple Festival in Nam Dinh is held from August 15 to 20 of the lunar calendar. First are the procedures for the procession from the communal house and surrounding temples to the Thien Truong Temple. The festival will have many folk games such as martial arts performances, lion dances, walking on the bridge, singing, ...
Discover the beauty of Tran Temple Relic Site:
1. Thien Truong Temple:
Thien Truong Temple, also known as Thuong Temple, is located in the center of the Tran Temple relic site. It was built on the foundation of the Tran family's ancestral temple, later the Thai Mieu and Trung Quang Palace. This is where the Tran Dynasty's retired emperors lived and worked. Thien Truong Temple consists of 9 buildings and 31 compartments. Entering the temple, you will see the front hall, the middle hall, the main chamber, the incense burner, 2 left and right rows of vu, 2 left and right rows of tube muong, 2 rows of East and West wings. Almost all of the temple's frames are made of ironwood, the temple roof is tiled, and the floor is paved with bricks.
The front hall of the temple consists of 5 compartments with a length of 13m. In the front hall, there are 12 main pillars and 12 secondary pillars, placed on stone pedestals that were formerly the base of the Trung Quang palace pillars. These stone pedestals are carved with exquisite lotus petals. Inside the front hall are the altars and tablets of the Tran dynasty's assistants. In the middle hall, you can see 14 tablets of the Tran dynasty's emperors. In front of the door, there are three thrones to worship the emperors. The main chamber is divided into 3 compartments. The middle compartment worships the 4 ancestors of the Tran family and their main wives. The two compartments on the left and right worship the royal concubines. The altar (incense burner) worships the meritorious mandarins of the Tran dynasty, and the civil and military mandarins have their own altars.
2. Co Trach Temple
Also known as Ha Temple, Co Trach Temple is located in the East of Tran Temple relic site. The stele records that in the 21st year of King Tu Duc's reign (1868), people dug up a broken stele in the East. On it was written the words "Hung Dao Than Vuong Co Trach". Therefore, in 1895, the temple was completed and named Co Trach Tu. This name means old house temple, used as a place to worship Tran Hung Dao, his family and generals. In the front hall of Co Trach Temple are placed the tablets of 3 trusted generals of Tran Hung Dao: Pham Ngo, Nguyen Che Nghia and Pham Ngu Lao. In the middle hall are placed the tablets and statues of Tran Hung Dao along with his 4 sons, Pham Ngu Lao and the left and right generals. In the main shrine are the altars of his parents, Tran Hung Dao and his wife, Princess Thien Thanh, his son and daughter-in-law, daughter and son-in-law.
3. Chong Hua Temple
Trung Hoa Temple is located on the left side of Thien Truong Temple, the western side of the Tran Temple relic site in Nam Dinh. It was built in 2000, on the foundation of Trung Hoa Palace. In ancient times, this was where the Tran Dynasty emperors came to consult with the retired emperors. In Trung Hoa Temple, there are 14 bronze statues imitating 14 Tran Dynasty emperors. These statues are placed in the central hall and the main hall. The incense-burning hall has the throne and the tablets to worship the mandarins. In which, the left room worships civil mandarins and the right room worships military mandarins.
Tran Temple Festival in Nam Dinh
Every year, at the Tran Temple relic site in Nam Dinh, there are two major festivals. One is the Tran Temple Seal Opening Ceremony in early spring, the other is the Tran Temple Festival in August. These two festivals attract a large number of local people and tourists from all over the world. Through the festivals, people flock to Nam Dinh to express their gratitude to the merits of the 14 Tran Dynasty kings.
The Tran Temple Seal Opening Ceremony takes place on January 14-15 every year. On the evening of the 14th, people begin the ritual of carrying the seal box from the inner palace of Co Trach Temple to Thien Truong Temple. At exactly the hour of Ty, the seal opening ceremony takes place. After that, local people and visitors from all over the world go to the temple to worship and ask for the seal leaf to pray for a successful and prosperous new year.
The Tran Temple Festival in August takes place from the 15th to the 20th of the 8th lunar month. The ceremony begins with the procession from the communal house and surrounding temples to offer incense at Thien Truong Temple. The festival will be extremely bustling with extremely attractive folk cultural activities. Among them, it is necessary to mention the 5-generation martial arts performance, wrestling, lion dance, playing cards, walking on the bridge, singing, Bai Bong dance...
With the information that iGuide has provided, we hope that you will have a smooth and enjoyable visit to Tran Nam Dinh Temple.
Thank you for choosing iguide.ai to accompany your exciting experience!
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