Unique architecture of the tomb of Queen Mother Ngo Thi Ngoc Giao

At the Lam Kinh special national relic (Tho Xuan district, Thanh Hoa province), there are currently 5 tombs of kings and queens under the Le So dynasty, including: the tomb of King Le Thai To (King Le Loi); the tomb of King Le Thai Tong; the tomb of Queen Mother Ngo Thi Ngoc Giao; the tomb of King Le Thanh Tong; the tomb of King Le Hien Tong.

The tomb of Queen Mother Ngo Thi Ngoc Giao in Lam Kinh Special National Relic Site (Tho Xuan District, Thanh Hoa Province)

The tomb of the last king of the Le So dynasty, Le Tuc Tong, was not buried in Son Lang (Lam Kinh) but in village 1, Kien Tho commune, Ngoc Lac district, Thanh Hoa province, about 4 km northwest of Son Lang area.

Notably, in the Son Lang area, there is only one female tomb, which is the tomb of Queen Mother Ngo Thi Ngoc Giao (mother of King Le Thanh Tong) who was buried, had a tomb built, and a stele erected to worship her in the East of Lam Kinh relic area.

This is the only Queen Mother's tomb buried in Son Lang (Lam Kinh). The difference of Queen Mother Ngo Thi Ngoc Giao's tomb is that it was built low, so you have to go down.

According to historical records, Queen Mother Ngo Thi Ngoc Dao was born in Dong Phang village (now Dinh Hoa commune, Yen Dinh district, Thanh Hoa province), in a large family. Her father was Vuong Du Ngo Tu, a founding hero who followed Le Loi in the Lam Son uprising against the Ming invaders from the very beginning.

At the age of 16, she followed her sister to serve King Le Thai Tong in the harem. The king favored her and granted her the title of Tiep Du in Khanh Phuong Palace. At that time, she was 18 years old. Legend has it that while her mother was pregnant, she dreamed of a fairy boy coming down from the moon and entering the house. When she woke up, she gave birth to Ngo Thi Ngoc Dao.

The tomb was built very simply, in harmony with nature.

"When she was born, there was a strange fragrance in the house, and music in the yard, with unusual rhythms like fairy music. When she grew up, she followed her family to work in the fields, and there was often a colorful cloud covering her head, and children often ran after her to get some coolness. Some people knew this and said, "That girl is worthy of being the mother of the world" - Lam Kinh Special Relic Site tour guide Hoang Thi Hien said.

The mausoleum has unique architecture.

After entering the palace, when she was about to give birth, Ngoc Dao dreamed that God sent a fairy boy to be her son. The fairy boy hesitated and refused to leave immediately. The God was angry and hit the fairy boy's forehead with a jade shovel, causing it to bleed. She woke up with a start and gave birth to Le Tu Thanh (King Le Thanh Tong). When he was born, the king had a scar on his forehead, just like he had seen in his dream.

In the tomb there are two rows of mandarins and guardian animals on both sides.

The special thing about the mandarin here is that he is a female mandarin.

However, she also suffered many storms, scandals, and almost lost her life many times due to the chaotic and jealous court that tried to harm her. Fortunately, she was protected and sheltered by the couple Hanh Nguyen Trai and Nguyen Thi Lo. In 1460, after many disturbances, she and her mother were brought back to the palace by the mandarins, who enthroned Le Tu Thanh as king (King Le Thanh Tong), and she became the Queen Mother.

Queen Mother Ngo Thi Ngoc Giao died in 1496, at the age of 76, having been Queen Mother for 37 years. After her death, she was brought back to Lam Son for burial, a tomb was built, and a stele was erected.

Queen Mother Ngo Thi Ngoc Giao was the one who gave birth to the most enlightened king in the feudal history of Vietnam - King Le Thanh Tong.

"It can be said that Queen Mother Ngo Thi Ngoc Giao is a person with great merit in her family as well as in the Le dynasty, because she is the one who gave birth to the most enlightened king in the feudal history of Vietnam, King Le Thanh Tong, and raised him to become an outstanding son" - Ms. Hien informed.

According to Ms. Hoang Thi Hien, the tomb of Queen Mother Ngo Thi Ngoc Giao has a special feature compared to all the tombs in the Son Lang area: her tomb is built low, going down, while all the tombs of the kings are built very high, going up. Another special feature is that the statue of the mandarin next to her tomb is also a female mandarin.

Tomb of Queen Mother Ngo Thi Ngoc Giao

"Her tomb was previously built with bricks. In 1998, the tomb was restored and restored to its current state. Every year, her tomb is also a spiritual destination where many tourists come to burn incense in memory and pray for peace," Ms. Hien shared.

Source: https://nld.com.vn/kien-truc-doc-dao-khu-lang-mo-hoang-thai-hau-ngo-thi-ngoc-giao-196240216140429992.htm