Why is the restoration project of King Le Temple still unfinished?

VHO - Once expected to become a spiritual and cultural highlight of the land of talented people, the project to restore King Le Temple in Lam Thanh Commune (Nghe An) after many years of implementation has yet to be completed.

The old temple grounds are covered with moss, overgrown with trees, and the landscape has degraded over time.

The unfinished projects and desolate landscape make people feel sad and leave many concerns about the conservation of national historical and cultural heritage.

Hope the project will be completed soon

Located on the left bank of the Lam River, the King Le Thai To Temple in Lam Thanh Commune ( Nghe An ) was once a majestic structure, where the people of Nghe An showed their respect for King Le Loi. The temple is a place to remember and pay tribute to the great contributions of Le Loi, the national hero, founder of the Later Le Dynasty, after ascending the throne with the reign name Thuan Thien.

He was the leader of the famous Lam Son uprising in the 15th century, leading the people to defeat the Ming invaders, regain independence, and open a prosperous period for the country. However, the temple restoration project has been implemented since 2019, many items of the temple are still unfinished, messy, covered with dust of time. Some items have just completed the frame, the entrance is overgrown with trees, the surrounding landscape is shabby and inconsistent.

According to the elders in the village, this temple once stood tall on the left bank of the Lam River, in the middle of the sacred land associated with the Lam Son uprising. Legend has it that the temple was built when King Le Loi was still alive. After more than half a millennium, the ups and downs of history and the erosion of time have left only the upper hall and a few scattered ruins in the grounds. However, in the minds of the people, this place is still a part of the soul of the homeland, a sacred place for descendants to return to their roots.

In 1997, the temple was ranked as a national historical and cultural relic. In 2019, Nghe An province launched the project to restore King Le temple with a total capital of more than 21 billion VND. At that time, joy spread throughout Lam Thanh commune because everyone believed that the ancient temple would be restored to a spacious state, worthy of its inherent historical and cultural value. But six years have passed, hope has gradually been replaced by disappointment. The project is still in disarray, many items are unfinished, only a few parts have been completed.

From afar, the upper, middle and lower halls have been built, but important parts such as the monument stele, Le Loi well, temple yard, embankment and internal road system are still left open. The temple yard is large but empty, the entrance is overgrown with grass. Local people say that every rainy season, water from the Lam River floods in, mud covers the structure, making it look even more desolate.

Mr. Phan Bui Tat, who has been taking care of the temple for more than 20 years, slowly recounted with a sigh: “In the past, even though the temple was old, visitors from all over still came in large numbers. People went to pray, people made pilgrimages, the sound of drums and gongs resounded loudly at the beginning of the year. Now there are very few, only a few people come to burn incense, and the king's death anniversary ceremony is also completely deserted. We hope the project will be completed soon so that the temple can be lit up with incense smoke again, so that the villagers have a proper place to remember.”

Mr. Tat added that for many years, the festival commemorating King Le Loi has been held, but only on a small, simple scale. Previously, on the occasion of the death anniversary, the villagers also held a boat racing festival on the Lam River, attracting hundreds of spectators. Now, because the project is unfinished, the festival is only a sacrificial ritual under a temporary roof. "We people want to have a proper festival, both solemn and joyful, so that the young generation can understand more about the history and the achievements of King Le Loi. But to do that, we must have a spacious temple first," Mr. Tat said.

Many items in the project to restore King Le's temple are still unfinished, with construction materials scattered around.

What is the cause?

Discussing this issue, Ms. Phan Thi Anh, Head of Heritage Management Department (Nghe An Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism) said: “The main reason for the project's delay is due to unstable funding allocation. Funding is not included in the public investment plan but mainly relies on increased revenue from the province and socialization, so it is very limited. Construction had to stop many times due to lack of capital, greatly affecting progress.”

Ms. Vo Tu Uyen, Deputy Head of the Department of Culture and Society of Lam Thanh Commune, shared: King Le Thai To Temple in Lam Thanh is considered the earliest original temple in the country, with special historical, cultural and spiritual values. According to Ms. Uyen, the restoration of the temple is not only the responsibility of the locality, but also requires appropriate investment from the provincial and ministerial levels to restore the appearance of a national heritage.

“With a construction of symbolic value like King Le Temple, restoration is not simply a matter of architectural repair, but also a journey to awaken memories, recreating the cultural and religious space deeply associated with the spiritual life of the people of Nghe An. This place is not only a sacred place of worship, but also a red address for traditional education , fostering national pride for the younger generation,” Ms. Uyen emphasized.

The project to restore King Le Thai To Temple is still being implemented, but the progress is slow due to lack of investment resources. The extension of the construction time has affected the conservation work. The local government hopes that the project will be completed soon to promote the value of the land of talented people, and at the same time contribute to preserving the valuable historical relic system of Lam Thanh commune. Only when the project is completed, King Le Thai To Temple will truly become a spiritual destination, serving the needs of worship and learning about history of the people and tourists.

The afternoon falls on the land along the Lam River, the sunset dyes the old temple's tiled roof red, the incense smoke from the upper hall rises faintly into the evening sky. The temple caretaker still quietly sweeps, tidies up the incense bowls, and welcomes the few visitors who come to visit. Although the project is still unfinished, this place still retains its sacredness and the respect that people have for the national hero. People believe that when the project is completed, King Le Temple will revive brilliantly beside the gentle Lam River, so that the sound of the ritual drums will resound again, and the story of the king who founded the Later Le Dynasty will forever resonate.

Source: https://baovanhoa.vn/van-hoa/vi-sao-du-an-phuc-dung-den-vua-le-van-dang-do-181336.html