Early preservation and restoration of the mausoleums and temples of kings, queen mothers, and queens of the Early Le Dynasty

From the starting point of being the hometown of Queen Mother Phung Thi Thuc Giang, wife of King Le Thanh Tong, in the old My Xa village, now Me residential group, Hung Nhan town (Hung Ha), a forbidden mountain mausoleum area was formed, where there are tombs of kings, queen mothers, and queens of the early Le dynasty. After hundreds of years of existence, the relic site is a historical destination that is respected and preserved by today's generation.

Temple of the Le kings, queen mothers and queens in Hung Nhan town (Hung Ha).

The ancient village of Me, whose colloquial name is Me and Chinese name is My Xa, is an ancient Vietnamese village located in the Da Cuong Huong area during the Ly Dynasty. During the Le Dynasty, My Xa village belonged to My Xa commune, Ngu Thien district, Long Hung prefecture. Through the process of gathering residents, villages, and clans of the village, many important figures were born in the feudal dynasties, including Queen Mother Phung Thi Thuc Giang, wife of King Le Thanh Tong.

Mr. Dang Quang Tu, Chairman of Hung Nhan Town People's Committee shared: According to field documents and ancient legends, Me village is located on a dragon-shaped land, with many high mounds, including mushroom areas, temples, and mausoleums belonging to the forbidden mountain mausoleums of the Le kings. There are still folk songs here such as: "Me market has many things to buy and sell/ All year round, worshiping the Le dynasty kings".

Currently, in the relic complex there are the tombs of King Le Tuong Duc and King Le Cung Hoang, the grandson and fourth-generation grandson of King Le Thanh Tong. In addition, there are also tombs and temples of the queen mothers and queens: Nhu Huy Hoang Thai Hau Phung Thi Thuc Giang, wife of King Le Thanh Tong; Huy Tu Hoang Thai Hau Trinh Thi Tuyen, daughter-in-law of King Le Thanh Tong, mother of King Le Tuong Duc; Kham Duc Hoang Hau Nguyen Thi Dao, wife of King Le Tuong Duc; Doan Tu Hoang Thai Hau Trinh Thi Loan, mother of King Le Chieu Tong and King Le Cung Hoang. The temple has a Nhi-shaped architecture consisting of 2 buildings with 6 compartments, the front hall with 3 compartments and the rear palace with 3 compartments.

With historical values, in 2011, the mausoleum and temple of the Le kings, queen mothers, and queens in Me residential area, Hung Nhan town were recognized as a provincial historical and cultural relic, and in 2013, they were recognized as a national historical and cultural relic. Every time a traditional festival is held, it attracts a large number of local people and tourists from all over the country to offer incense, express their respect, and pay tribute to the merits of their ancestors.

Now over 80 years old, Mr. Nguyen Van Dinh, a local resident who is involved in the activities taking place at the relic site every day, shared: King Le Thanh Tong married a woman from Me village, Mrs. Phung Thi Thuc Giang - the 4th generation granddaughter of Mr. Phung Ta Chu. About 500m from the relic site worshiping the Le kings, queen mothers, and queens is Me temple - the place to worship Hung Nhan Dai Vuong Phung Ta Chu. With the philosophy of "When drinking water, remember its source", local people always have the responsibility to preserve historical and cultural relics for future generations. Every year, on the occasion of each traditional festival, people organize a procession of unicorns and lions, and sacrificial teams go around the village, creating a bustling atmosphere, reminding everyone about the village festival to repay their ancestors, contributing their efforts, and working together to build and preserve.

Built during the Le Dynasty and having undergone many restorations, through the ups and downs of history, the relic site is now seriously degraded. In the context of many local difficulties, in order to preserve and promote the cultural and historical values here, the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism has requested investment policies, and at the same time conducted a survey of the current situation to develop a plan to restore the relic site. In addition, the locality has also made efforts to mobilize social resources.

Mr. Dang Quang Tu, Chairman of Hung Nhan Town People's Committee shared: The locality will make efforts to coordinate with functional agencies, philanthropists, and people to contribute to the restoration of the mausoleum and temple of the Le kings, queen mothers, and queens, contributing to preserving for future generations to know and understand a turbulent historical period of the Le dynasty.

Tu Anh

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