Current status and solutions for tourism development in Kim Bang district, Ha Nam province

Tuong Linh has up to 3 people. Tuong Linh is also considered the origin of the betel and areca story because here there is also Cau stream in Dai Voi mountain range (now called Suot Tan Lang) with betel market (now Dau market). With the amazing natural landscape with the remaining ancient vestiges, Bat Canh Son complex, if exploited in the right direction, will certainly become an attractive eco-cultural tourist destination in Kim Bang - Ha Nam.

- Ngoc Mountain Scenic Area - Ba Danh Pagoda

+ Ngoc Mountain

Ngoc Mountain is located in Danh village, Ngoc Son commune, Kim Bang district, Ha Nam. Ngoc Mountain is 100m north of Ba Danh Pagoda. From Phu Ly city, go 7km upstream on the Day River to Danh wharf, continue 100m to reach Ngoc Mountain.

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The mountain is located close to the Day River. Ngoc Mountain is a limestone mountain in the system of rocky mountains stretching from Hoa Binh to the northwest-southeast through Tuong Linh-Kha Phong-Lien Son communes of Kim Bang district. However, Ngoc Mountain is separate, separated from the other mountain range by the Day River.

Ngoc Mountain is not very high. Here, trees grow abundantly, big and small, with lush branches and leaves, which are preserved by the locals. On the mountain, there is an ancient banyan tree that is said to be hundreds of years old. Standing on the top of the mountain, visitors feel as if they are separated from the hustle and bustle of modern life to immerse themselves in the pure tranquility of nature with mountains, rivers, trees and grass. Today, at the foot of the mountain, there is a temple to worship a mandarin who contributed to the village.

Connecting Ba Danh Pagoda with Ngoc Mountain is a large field of perennial trees, mainly lychee and longan, with corn and rice interspersed depending on the season. Located completely isolated from the residential area on the mountain, under the river near the temple, near Ngoc Mountain Pagoda, it is truly a scenic spot of Kim Bang land, an attractive tourist destination.

+ Ba Danh Pagoda

Ba Danh Pagoda, also known as Bao Son Tu, is located in Danh village, Ngoc Son commune, Kim Bang district, Ha Nam province. From Phu Ly city, cross Hong Phu bridge, follow road 21, to kilometer 7, cross Que bridge, go another 2km to reach the pagoda.

Like other pagodas, Ba Danh pagoda worships Buddha, but in addition to the Bodhisattva statue, there are also statues of Thai Thuong Lao Quan, statues of Nam Tao, Bac Dau and statues of the Four Palaces belief, a Vietnamese folk belief. There are statues of the Four Palaces system because the pagoda worships the Four Dharmas. The story of the Four Dharmas with the mothers May (Phap Van), Mua (Phap Vu), Sam (Phap Loi), Chop (Phap Dien), as a mixture of Buddhism with indigenous folk beliefs, was recorded in the Man Nuong Story of Linh Nam Chinh Quai (Tran The Phap 14th century Vu Quynh - Kieu Phu, 1942).

The story of the origin of Tu Phap, formed from mother Man Nuong, has spread throughout the Northern Delta and is also popular here. The people of Kim Bang believe that since worshiping Tu Phap, the Bac Ninh region has enjoyed favorable weather, good crops, and bountiful harvests. Therefore, they gathered to go to the North to ask for incense sticks to worship. The villages of Van Lam, Dang Xa, Van Chau, Bau Thon, Bai Le... asked for incense sticks to carve statues of Tu Phap to worship, from which the custom of worshiping Tu Phap was spread to the communes along the Day River in Ha Nam province.

The people of Danh village were also planning to ask for incense sticks from Bac Ninh to worship when a strange story happened. The local legend is still circulating: In the past, this area always had heavy rains and strong winds, so production encountered many difficulties, crop failures caused constant famine. Until one day, an old man in the village dreamed of a young, beautiful, dignified girl with a kind face, a smart forehead and eyes appearing and saying: I was sent here by the gods to take care of and pointed out the forest at the entrance of the village as a place to build a pagoda. That place at that time was a dense forest, with many ancient trees, close to the river bank was a small mountain, jutting out of the water, in the forest bustling with birdsong, the scene was truly magical.

The temple was originally built with simple bamboo and thatch. In the Vinh Tri year, under the reign of Le Hy Tong, the forest was cleared to rebuild the temple. This area was forbidden for people to build houses, so the temple became more solemn and deserted. Not long after the temple was built, an ancient jackfruit tree in the temple area was suddenly blown down by a strong wind. The villagers cut down the wood to find workers to carve the statue.

Suddenly, a visitor came to the temple and said that he was a statue carver and had been told to come here in a dream. The visitor described the appearance and face of the girl who had told him in the dream as exactly the same as the god who had told the old man in the village. That year, it was the rainy season, the river water rose high, and the statue was almost finished being carved. Then, under the water in front of the temple, there was a strange object, half floating, half sinking, not floating with the water, but pushed away several times and then floated back. Seeing this strange thing, the villagers took it out to see and it turned out to be a wooden throne, so they immediately brought it to the temple. It was strange that the carved statue fit perfectly on the throne. Since then, the area had favorable weather and abundant crops, and the rumor of the miraculousness of the Holy Lady Bao Son spread everywhere, and many visitors came to worship. People who worked on the river and traveled up and down this section of the river when it rained and flooded all went to the temple to burn incense and pray for peace.

This legend has some similarities with the Man Nuong legend, such as the driftwood tree (Man Nuong's story) and the driftwood throne (Ba Danh's legend). In the nature of the deity, both places of worship are the goddess of agriculture. In addition, in the legend of Ba Danh, we can also see the shadow of the worship of the river god of the people living along the Day River.

The pagoda faces south along the Day River. The outermost part, adjacent to the road and near the river bank, is the temple's three-door gate. This structure is raised five steps and has two gables at both ends. The three-door gate has three compartments and two floors. The upper floor has two roofs, covered with tiles around the wooden floor, railings, and balusters. This floor is used as a bell tower.

The lower room has a system of ironwood doors. Outside the two doors on both sides are two bronze pillars built to protrude. On the roof of the three-door gate, there is a pair of dragons with betel leaves in the middle. On both sides of the main gate are two small gates with eight roofs, the upper gate is curved in a semicircle. On normal days, visitors mainly go in and out of the temple through this side door, only when the temple has a grand ceremony will the main gate in the middle be opened.

Through the main gate is a flower garden, a brick-paved yard, and two corridors on both sides. The worshiping hall has 5 rooms, with both ends built with a slope and roofed with southern tiles. The central hall has 5 rooms, with both ends built with a slope and roofed with southern tiles, and a Duc Ban door connected to the worshiping hall. The upper hall has 3 rooms, with walls on both sides and a system of ironwood doors in front. The interior of the house here is narrower than the worshiping hall and the central hall, but is built much higher. To the west of the pagoda area is a horizontal house with 5 rooms, three of which are used to worship the ancestors who have presided here, and the two gable rooms are divided into 2 rooms for monks to live in. In front of the ancestor's house is a brick yard, and outside is a garden for growing flowers and perennials. To the east of the pagoda area is the Mother Goddess shrine, bordering the central hall. The entire pagoda area is surrounded by walls.

Ba Danh Pagoda is a complex system consisting of many structures with 40 rooms. According to local people, the pagoda was built a long time ago but has been restored many times. The remaining structures were all built from the 19th century onwards.

* The value of folk sculpture architecture of Ba Danh pagoda

When mentioning Ba Danh Pagoda, people often understand that it is a pagoda with a beautiful landscape, quiet, lonely and sacred, famous for a time. The pagoda has an ancient and solemn beauty that is rare in Ha Nam province.

In the middle of the ironwood panel system of the lower floor of the three-door gate is a carving of the five blessings (five bats holding the word longevity). On each pillar designed to protrude beyond the two side walls, ancient artisans embossed the four sacred animals: dragon, unicorn, turtle, and phoenix in a symmetrical, elaborate, and graceful manner. On the top

The roof of the three-door gate has a pair of dragons facing the moon made of lime, sand and porcelain pieces, in the style of the Nguyen Dynasty dragons. Most notable in the three-door gate are the pair of stone dragons and the pair of stone tigers arranged along both sides of the steps, in a symmetrical position, facing the worshiping hall. Compared to the statue of the pair of dragons facing the moon on the roof of the three-door gate, the statue of the pair of stone dragons at the foot of the three-door gate is carved more simply and gently, still resembling the silhouette of a snake, not yet bearing the shape of a monitor lizard. Similarly, the pair of stone tigers sitting at a 45-degree angle behind are also carved simply and gently, not as fierce as the statues of the five tigers in other places of worship. These are rare and precious relics full of folklore that need to be protected.

Almost all of the architectural art and carvings of the pagoda are concentrated in the worship hall - the place where monks and Buddhists perform daily rituals. The worship hall has five compartments, a frame made of ironwood, a gabled gable, and two dragons. Observing from the middle of the brick yard, people will be really interested in admiring the system of relief statues with the theme of "Four dragons facing the moon" on the roof of the house. All four dragons, from the shape of their winding bodies, to their eyes, beards, claws, and fins, are very lively, graceful, and also very fierce, as if they are playing with each other, flying in the vast space. The dragon style of the Nguyen Dynasty is expressed here very clearly.

At the ends of the two corridors and connected to the worshiping hall are two towering, majestic pillars. On each pillar are embossed images of the four sacred animals: dragon, unicorn, turtle, and phoenix in a symmetrical position, evoking a sense of harmony, balance, and stability. Each line of the dragon, unicorn, turtle, and phoenix exudes the meticulousness, virtuosity, and talent of ancient artisans. The carving talent of ancient artisans is shown on the six main pillars of this building. The first beam (counting from West to East) has one side against the wall, carved with tiger faces, bamboo transformed into dragons, roses, peaches, and pomegranates.

The second rafter has the front side carved with “Five Blessings” (five bats), apricot blossoms, roses, fruit brush and wine gourd, the back side carved with “Five Dragons Fighting for a Pearl”, roses, orchids and apricot blossoms. The third rafter has the front side carved with “Four Sacred Animals”.

(dragon, unicorn, turtle, phoenix), “Tung ma” (pine and horse), “Mai dieu” (apricot blossom and bird), cross-rail carved with zither, moon-shaped lute, clapper, back side, carved with “Four sacred animals”, wine gourd, scroll. Fourth rafter, front side above carved with “Two dragons worshiping the moon”, bottom side carved with “Four sacred animals”, cross-rail: carved with rose, pine tree, scroll, money tree, zither and flute. Fifth rafter, front side carved with a lake face, two-sided dragon, plum blossom, cross-rail carved with: peach, Buddha’s hand, pomegranate, rose, scroll and bat, back side: carved with “Five blessings”, peach, rose, scroll. Sixth rafter, (one side against the wall) carved with a tiger face, pine turns into dragon, bamboo turns into dragon, above cross-rail carved with peach, plum, bamboo, grape, pomegranate, peach and plum, cloth fan. In addition to the six rafter, there are six main columns made of ironwood, standing on the border between the worshiping hall and the central hall. On each column is a carved image of a dragon climbing towards the altar in the middle of the third compartment with very delicate carvings.

In terms of themes, if it is an animal, the artisan will emboss or carve according to the themes: "Tu long" (dragon, unicorn, turtle, phoenix), "Ngu phuc" (five bats), "Luong long chau nguyet", "Ngu long tranh chau", "Tu long chau mat nguyet", if it is a plant, there are the themes: "Tu quy" (pine, chrysanthemum, bamboo, apricot), "Bat qua" (peach, grape, pomegranate, fig, Buddha's hand), if it is a combination of plants, there are the themes: "Mai dieu" (apricot blossom and bird), "Tung ma" (pine tree and horse), "Truc hoa long", "Thong hoa long"... In addition, there are also familiar themes such as zither, moon lute, clapper, flute, brush pen, wine gourd, fig fan which people still understand as "Bat bao" (eight precious things). In the process of creation, ancient artisans combined the symbolic themes of royal art ("Four Spirits", "Five Blessings", "Luong Long Chau Nguyet", "Ngu Long Tranh Chau", "Plum Bird", "Tu Quy", "Tung Ma") with themes of folk art such as "Ngu Qua", "Bat Qua", zither, flute, two-stringed fiddle, and clapper. The way of expression skillfully combined the embossed style, dragon carving with the sunken style. All were stylized but still soulful and lively.

In the upper hall of Ba Danh Pagoda, there are many worship statues such as the statue of Tam The, the statue of Ngoc Hoang and Thai Thuong Lao Quan, and the statue of Ba Chua Danh. The statue of Ba Danh can be considered the center of the pagoda. The statue is carved in a meditating posture on a shiny black throne (not a lotus throne), with a beautiful, gentle, feminine face, close and intimate, not having the transcendent, mysterious appearance like other Buddha statues. The harmony between the statue and the throne creates the appeal of the sculpture art of Ba Danh Pagoda.

- Truc Temple Scenic Area - Ngu Dong Son

+ Truc Temple

Truc Temple is located in the scenic area of Truc Temple - Ngu Dong Thi Son, Quyen Son village, Thi Son commune, Kim Bang district.

From Phu Ly city, follow National Highway 21 to kilometer 8 (or by waterway, from Phu Ly, take a boat up the Day River 8km) to reach the Truc Temple scenic area. This scenic area is 10 hectares wide, with charming natural scenery, mountains, and poetic bamboo forests. Coming here, you will admire the strange shapes of stalactites and hear the harmony of wind and rocks in a magical natural "stage".

Truc Temple lies quietly on the bank of the Day River, right at the foot of Thi Son Mountain, with the amazing Ngu Dong landscape. The reason it is called Truc Temple is because in the past, the temple was surrounded by a dense bamboo forest of dozens of acres. Today, the bamboo forest no longer exists, but there is still a thick layer of bamboo surrounding the temple.

If you go by boat to the temple, you have to go through more than a dozen brick steps to reach the temple gate. The temple gate consists of 4 bronze pillars, 2 main pillars in the middle and 2 small pillars on both sides. The two main pillars are over 6m high and are divided into 3 parts: the lower part is a rectangular block, all sides have moldings to form balanced frames.

The letters are sunk into the mortar. On this part is a square block, with four sacred animals on four sides and on top is a pair of balanced dragons, facing each other. Through a brick yard over 10m wide is the front house. This construction consists of 5 compartments built high on the floor, arranged in 3 levels, 2 gables with steep slopes. The front side has two gables built close to the outer wall from the roof to the main threshold to have a longevity-shaped window. The three middle compartments are a system of wooden doors built close to the row of pillars. The gable walls and both front sides are built protruding, the outermost part is built in the same style as the front house: steeply built, ironwood frame, gong rack and roofed with southern tiles. Separation

Current status and solutions for tourism development in Kim Bang district, Ha Nam province - 6

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