From Thuan An estuary (Thua Thien- Hue ), following Highway 49 through coastal villages settled on a strip of golden sand like a winding dragon embracing the Tam Giang - Cau Hai lagoon and the East Sea outside, going south to Tu Hien estuary (in Vinh Hien commune, Phu Loc district, Thua Thien-Hue), the land has raised 2 mountains. The mountain has a round shape like the shell of a turtle facing the sea, Linh Thai mountain (commonly known as Turtle mountain, see details in the next article). Thuy Van mountain has the shape of a dragon's head facing Bach Ma mountain of the Truong Son range.
The historical milestone in the journey to open up the South of Vietnam was first recorded at Thuy Van mountain when in 1471, King Le Thanh Tong, during his trip to pacify the Cham, stopped at this seaport and wrote the poem Tu Dung Hai Mon Lu Thu which was passed down to later generations. In the poem, while sitting on the top of Thuy Van mountain, before the majestic foundation on the border of Dai Viet, King Le Thanh Tong was inspired to write these proud verses (translated): "The whole foundation is one common realm/To the South, the Hai Van border is spread out/Three watches of the moon are still, Dong Long is bright/Five sounds of the drums sound the Lo Hac is shaking" . Later, Tu Dung gate gradually dried up, so the danger of foreign enemies coming through the seaport to attack the Hue capital was unlikely, so the Nguyen Dynasty renamed it Tu Hien.
Panoramic view of Thuy Van mountain
PHOTO: NGUYEN TA PHONG
According to the Du dia chi Thua Thien-Hue , Tu Hien seaport originally belonged to the Champa kingdom, and was called O Long during the Ly dynasty. During the Tran dynasty, King Nhan Tong married Princess Huyen Tran to King Che Man of Champa in 1306. When she got married to Champa, Princess Huyen Tran stopped here to pay respect to her ancestors. Since then, this seaport has been named Tu Dung, to record the marriage between the King of Champa and the Vietnamese princess, and to commemorate the Vietnamese girl who sacrificed her personal happiness for the expansion of the territory.
On Thuy Van Mountain, there is an ancient Thanh Duyen Pagoda. The original name of the pagoda was My Am Son Tu. In 1644, Lord Nguyen Phuc Tan laid the foundation for Dai Hung Palace and named the pagoda Thanh Duyen. In 1836, King Minh Mang had the pagoda rebuilt and had the inscription engraved on a stone stele erected in the yard.
From the foot of the mountain, on a round rock next to the steps leading up to the main gate of Thanh Duyen Pagoda, we saw a stele engraved with three Chinese characters: Thuy Van Son. On the right side under the willow forest is an ancient moss-covered stele engraved with the Van Son Thang Tich poem by King Thieu Tri, describing: "Thuy Van mountain, high green mountains, fragrant green trees, outside looking at the ocean, inside looking at the small sea...".
Dieu Ngu Tower on Thuy Van Mountain
Stepping up the mossy stone steps is the ancient Zen landscape with the Dai Hung main hall following the ancient house architecture. The inner hall has three compartments, the main room worships Buddha, on both sides worship Bodhisattvas, Buddhist saints and also has the tablet of King Minh Mang. On the right of Dai Hung hall is a structure rebuilt with concrete structure, inside are worshiped 3 ancient statues of Buddha of Medicine, Bodhisattva Avalokitesvara and Bodhisattva Manjushri. The pagoda is located on a mountain so the ecological landscape here is still very wild with many ancient trees hundreds of years old.
Preserving many precious antiques
Venerable Thich Minh Chinh, abbot of Thanh Duyen Pagoda, said that although the pagoda has been abandoned for a long time, it still preserves many valuable Buddhist artifacts and instruments such as bronze bells, stone steles and especially rare ancient statues.
According to historical records, the pagoda used to have 71 ancient statues, but because no one preserved them, many of them were lost. After restoration, the pagoda has 59 ancient statues left.
Thuy Van Mountain overlooks Cau Hai lagoon with traps spread out like a battle formation in the "sea gate traveler"
PHOTO: NGUYEN TA PHONG
Among the ancient statues in the pagoda, there are especially rare statues such as the set of 18 Arhats (18 Arhats) made of red-lacquered bronze and gilded, recognized by the Vietnam Book of Records Center as the oldest and largest bronze Arhats in Vietnam (in 2008); there are 10 of the Ten Kings of the Ming Dynasty, the Three Worlds Buddhas... Especially the set of ancient bamboo Arhats made of 18 Arhats, the only one in Vietnam today. To avoid damage and theft, Venerable Thich Minh Chinh had the precious statues carefully stored in the pagoda.
In the early decades of the 20th century, Thanh Duyen National Temple was once a large religious center of the church.
Sitting at the foot of Dieu Ngu tower, looking out at the Tu Hien sea gate with its rolling waves, my heart suddenly flutters with emotion when thinking about the footsteps of Vietnamese girls on their journey to open up the South. Currently, after many renovations, Thanh Duyen pagoda is gradually restoring the appearance of the ancient temple with a stele engraved with the Van Son Thang Tich poem by King Thieu Tri erected at the foot of the mountain. On the right side of the front yard of the pagoda, there is a stone stele engraved with 4 poems by King Minh Mang about Thuy Van mountain and Thanh Duyen pagoda. In particular, in the middle of the main shrine is a bronze tablet with the words "Dang Kim Minh Mang Hoang De Van Tho Vo Cuong". Going up to the top of the mountain is the 2-storey Dai Tu pavilion with a gate and a citadel surrounding it. On the top of the mountain is the 3-storey Dieu Ngu tower, about 15 m high, and Tien Sang pavilion behind the tower overlooking the East Sea. Around the pagoda, there are many ancient pine trees hundreds of years old. (continued)
Source: https://thanhnien.vn/nhung-ngon-nui-thieng-thuy-van-son-noi-hai-mon-lu-thu-185240913213754071.htm
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