Visit the altar of heaven and earth - where heaven gave the "society" to the Tay Son dynasty

Located on the top of An Son, the majestic altar of heaven and earth stands tall in the sacred space of the intersection of earth and sky. This is where people set up an altar to commemorate and express gratitude to heaven and earth for "giving great karma" to the Tay Son trio, opening a brilliant dynasty in the history of the nation.

Thăm đàn tế trời đất - nơi trời trao 'xã tắc' cho nhà Tây Sơn- Ảnh 1. — The altar to worship heaven and earth is located on top of An Son mountain in Binh Phu commune, Gia Lai province.

Where heaven gives the precious seal

An Son is a low mountain, located on the right bank of the Kon River, in Binh Phu Commune, Gia Lai Province (formerly Tay Son District, Binh Dinh Province). The mountain is surrounded by the Hoanh Son range with symbolic names such as But Son (Trung Islet), Hoi Son (Dung Islet), Kiem Son (Lanh Islet), Co Son (Drum Islet), Chung Son (Chuong Islet)...

According to Quang Trung Museum, if on the left bank of the Kon River there is But Son, where Nguyen Nhac was crowned king by the Jade Emperor, then on the right bank, at An Son, he was given a seal to engrave the four Chinese characters "son ha xa tac".

Legend has it that once, Nguyen Nhac's family had a death anniversary. At night, on Trung island, the sound of gongs and drums echoed with flickering firelight. Nguyen Nhac and a few people went up the mountain to see the strange sight.

Amidst the flickering firelight, an old man appeared and presented the decree "The Jade Emperor decrees Nguyen Nhac to be king". From then on, rumors spread far and wide, and Nguyen Nhac's prestige was respected as someone who was given the mandate of heaven.

Thăm đàn tế trời đất - nơi trời trao 'xã tắc' cho nhà Tây Sơn- Ảnh 2. — The stone path of hundreds of steps leads up to the relic site.

Another time, on the way from An Khe to his home in Kien Thanh hamlet, Nguyen Nhac's horse suddenly reared up, ran straight to the southeast, and stopped at Go Sac. He fell off his horse, and his right leg hurt for a long time before he could stand up.

As he was preparing to ride home, Nguyen Nhac suddenly saw a sword hilt stuck in the cliff on the mountainside. He immediately sent someone to get it, and it turned out to be an ancient sword. The blade was as bright as water, everyone was happy and thought it was a gift from heaven.

Thinking that the heavens would bestow a precious sword and a seal, Nguyen Nhac immediately organized a prayer ceremony at the foot of Hoanh Son mountain. On the third night of the ceremony, suddenly a bright light like a fire spout flew across the sky and fell on Giai island. A loud explosion resounded, shaking the entire area.

In the morning, when people came to the place, they discovered a square seal carved into the rock with the four words "mountains, rivers, and land". From then on, Hon Giai was called Hon An or An Son.

Thăm đàn tế trời đất - nơi trời trao 'xã tắc' cho nhà Tây Sơn- Ảnh 3. — The Indian temple is located among the dark green trees.

Majestic altar to heaven and earth

With that sacred historical significance, in 2011, the local government built an altar to worship heaven and earth on An mountain. The project was completed in 2012 and was ranked as a provincial historical relic in 2017. This is not only a memorial place but also a thank you and gratitude of the people to heaven and earth for entrusting great work to the Tay Son trio.

The relic complex covers more than 28 hectares, including 3 main areas including Kinh Thien Temple, An Temple - Thong Linh Tower and the office area. All are arranged symmetrically on the north - south axis.

Thăm đàn tế trời đất - nơi trời trao 'xã tắc' cho nhà Tây Sơn- Ảnh 4. — An Temple - where the story of heaven giving Nguyen Nhac a precious seal is recreated

From the foot of the mountain, a stone path of hundreds of steps gradually leads visitors into the legendary space. Halfway up, the An Temple appears in the middle of the dark green forest, where the story of the heaven-given precious seal to Nguyen Nhac is recreated.

In front of the temple gate, on both sides of the entrance, there are stone elephants, stone horses, statues of civil and military mandarins, symbolizing the forces that contributed to the Tay Son cause. The temple has 3 rooms, the front room worships the generals and soldiers, the courtyard has a stone altar engraved with a copy of the "mountains, rivers, and lands" seal, the back room worships the 3 brothers Nguyen Nhac, Nguyen Hue, and Nguyen Lu.

Opposite on the right side of the road is the Tower of Communication. The tower is square and 7 stories high, symbolizing the communication between humans and heaven, between the past and the present.

Thăm đàn tế trời đất - nơi trời trao 'xã tắc' cho nhà Tây Sơn- Ảnh 5. — The Tower of Communication symbolizes the intersection between man and heaven.

The highest is the altar to heaven, designed according to the philosophy of "three talents": heaven, earth, and human. In which, the lowest level symbolizes people with 4 gates opening in 4 directions. The main gate to the south is Bao Son Thien An, the gate to the north is Binh Dinh gate, Thien Ung gate is located in the west and Khai Duc gate is located in the east. The altar is square, each side is 90 m.

Next is the square altar symbolizing the earth. The altar is square, each side is 54 meters long with a golden stone railing and a pair of stone dragons facing the main door.

The top floor is a circular altar, 27 meters in diameter, symbolizing the sky. The altar has 9 red stone steps divided into 3 levels. On top are 12 stone pillars symbolizing 12 time zones, the top of the pillars is carved with unicorns, in the middle of the altar is a stone altar to worship heaven and earth.

Thăm đàn tế trời đất - nơi trời trao 'xã tắc' cho nhà Tây Sơn- Ảnh 6. — The main gate of the altar of heaven and earth is located in the south.

An Son is not only a spiritual and cultural destination, but also a symbol of the aspiration for independence and the indomitable spirit of the Vietnamese people.

According to Mr. Nguyen Van Tan, Deputy Director in charge of Quang Trung Museum, Dai Kinh Thien or the altar of heaven and earth is located on the top of An Son, creating a large space of heaven and earth combined with majestic spiritual works. The altar of heaven has an important meaning in praying for national peace and prosperity, world peace . Every year, about 28,000 - 30,000 people come here to visit and travel.