Xeo Can Pagoda relic

Sirivansa - Xeo Can Pagoda was founded in the spring of 1962 in Can Vam A hamlet, Thanh Yen commune, U Minh Thuong district ( Kien Giang province). Xeo Can Pagoda was once a meeting place and shelter for patriotic cadres and soldiers.

Xeo Can Pagoda was established at the request of the Southwestern Liberation Front and the wishes of local monks and Buddhists. In 1962, Khmer elders mobilized Buddhist followers to clear the wild forest, dig and build the pagoda's foundation, and pool their manpower and resources to construct Xeo Can Pagoda using wood and leaves.

Mr. Danh Den, Head of the Management Board of Xeo Can Pagoda, recounted: "The pagoda was established to meet the religious needs of Buddhist followers; it also served as a meeting place and shelter for patriotic monks and Buddhists during the resistance war against the US and for national liberation."

In 1964, enemy planes heavily bombed the temple, severely damaging the main hall, breaking one of the Buddha statues' arms, and causing the monks' quarters to collapse. In 1965, the enemy launched a sweep operation, and many villagers evacuated to the temple for shelter. A group of enemy planes flew over the temple roof and opened fire.

Hearing the gunfire, Venerable Danh Chuoi - the abbot of Xeo Can Pagoda - stood in the middle of the pagoda courtyard wearing a gleaming golden robe, intending to let the enemy know that this was a pagoda, a place of worship, but the enemy planes continued to fire.

Despite the danger, Venerable Danh Chuoi remained standing in the temple courtyard. Fortunately, not a single bullet hit him; only his robe was torn. When the enemy planes flew away, the villagers ran out to welcome the Venerable inside.

Venerable Danh Hoang Nan - deputy abbot of Xeo Can Pagoda - and Buddhist followers reviewed the revolutionary traditions of the pagoda.

In 1969, enemy planes flew in swarms, dropping artillery pieces onto the temple grounds before paratroopers landed to occupy the temple land and build a field artillery position to bombard deeper into the U Minh base area. In that battleground, the blood of a monk and two young children stained the temple grounds red.

Mr. Danh Tuong, a member of the management board of Xeo Can Pagoda, recounted: “At that time, there were many villagers and children in the pagoda, and I was one of the lucky ones who escaped harm. The monk who was killed by the enemy's artillery fire was the deputy abbot of the pagoda and my uncle. After that incident, the Buddhists became even more resentful of the enemy's barbaric actions.”

In mid-1969, when the enemy launched a raid, Buddhists and monks evacuated to other places. When the enemy withdrew, the monks and Buddhists returned to the temple. By the end of 1969, the situation had stabilized, and Buddhists continued to return to the temple. In 1974, the monks of Xeo Can Temple and some Buddhists participated in a large protest by monks and Buddhists in 72 Khmer temples in the province to oppose the order to conscript monks into the army.

During the years of resistance against the American invasion, Xeo Can Pagoda also served as a shelter and protection for many revolutionary cadres. The monks and Buddhist followers also participated in liaison work, troop mobilization, distributing leaflets, hanging revolutionary flags, and contributing rice, money, and other resources to support the resistance until the great victory in the spring of 1975.

Mr. Danh Thuan, residing in Can Vam A hamlet, Thanh Yen commune, said: "I remember on liberation day, people happily poured into the streets and went to the temple to perform rituals and congratulate each other in the joy of national reunification."

From a temple that was repeatedly bombarded by the enemy, Xeo Can Pagoda has been rebuilt into a sturdy and spacious structure. Xeo Can Pagoda was classified as a provincial-level historical and cultural relic in 2004.

Text and photos: THU OANH