Tran Vu Temple

Tran Vu Temple was built on the Quy Xa land formation where energies gather and faces north. In the fields there is a raised mound regarded as the shape of a Turtle. Behind the temple and pagoda is the Red River dike, regarded as the shape of a Snake (or Dragon). According to legend, Saint Tran Vu subdued the Snake demon and Turtle demon; therefore, the image of Tran Vu includes a Snake coiled around the Seven-Star Sword resting on a Turtle's back. According to some researchers, Snake and Turtle belong to the scaly and rough-skinned species, governing water sources, cold, evil, and yin. Tran Vu's destruction of the Snake and Turtle demons is regarded as a symbol of the god against floods. In Taoist belief, Huyen Thien Tran Vu is tasked with guarding the North and symbolizes winter.

Huyen Thien Tran Vu is worshipped in many places; in Hanoi there is Tran Vu Quan in Quan Thanh (Ba Dinh), Huyen Thien Dai Quan in Thuy Lam (Dong Anh), and Huyen Thien Co Quan in Dong Xuan Ward...

There are many different versions of the legend of Huyen Thien Tran Vu, among which the legend recorded on the stone stele at Tran Vu Temple, Thach Ban, is summarized as follows: After four incarnations and periods of cultivation in different countries, He attained enlightenment and made great contributions to eliminating demons, helping the sky be calm and the sea peaceful, the population settle, and all things multiply. He also assisted in defeating invading northern enemies, helping the country and supporting the people, with immensely great merit. From the time of Thuc Phan An Duong Vuong to the present, successive dynasties have bestowed on him the title of Superior God and granted land and incense offerings for worship.

Folk tradition says that when King Le Thanh Tong went to campaign in the South, he stationed troops at Cu Linh, and the king received a dream from the Holy Ancestor. He then ordered the establishment of a temple, a statue, and a wooden tablet inscribed in gold letters "Hien Linh Tran Vu Quan", from which the temple's name dates. Thus, Tran Vu Temple was founded under King Le Thanh Tong (1460-1496).

Tran Vu Temple underwent many renovations in the 17th, 18th, and 20th centuries, and in the Nguyen era it was repaired and completely rebuilt. The statue of Huyen Thien Tran Vu is one of the two largest surviving ancient bronze statues. Together with the Tran Vu statue at Quan Thanh Temple in Ba Dinh, the Tran Vu statue in Thach Ban is a brilliant expression of the art of creating large statues and the extraordinary technique of traditional bronze casting. This is a statue cast in one piece from brass, with the exterior painted and gilded. The statue is 3.8 m high, 8 m in circumference, and weighs 4 tons. The statue is seated with feet resting on the pedestal, back straight, thighs slightly apart, head bare, wearing a black dragon robe with a belt, feet unshod, hands placed before the chest with the index finger extended in a mudra, the Seven-Star Sword in the right hand with the sword tip resting on the Turtle's back, and eyes looking straight ahead with great intensity. The Huyen Thien Tran Vu statue was recognized as a National Treasure by Decision No. 2382/QD-TTg dated December 25, 2015, of the Prime Minister.

In addition, in the Thuong Cung there are statues of the 12 marshals. These are celestial generals who followed Him to eliminate demons; 10 statues remain today, 2 of which are female deities, arranged in two rows close to the walls facing the center. The statues are made of earth. Each has a different face, such as a horse face or a bird face, generally fierce and strange, as if the heads have many faces. At the outermost are two stone statues in the same style as the two stone statues in the Trung Duong building. Currently, Tran Vu Temple also jointly worships Saint Linh Lang Dai Vuong (because the village communal house collapsed). In addition, the temple still preserves 4 ancient stone steles recording the legend and renovations of Tran Vu Temple; a set of Taoist woodblocks; a system of horizontal lacquered boards and couplets describing the temple's beautiful scenery and praising the merits of Saint Tran Vu; and a throne, tablet, and command sword in the artistic style of the 18th century.

At Tran Vu Temple, annually on the 3rd day of the 3rd lunar month a festival is held tied to His birthday, and the 9th day of the 9th lunar month is His transformation day. In addition to rituals, the Tran Vu Temple festival has a very unique folk game: tug-of-war with a rope threaded through a post hole. This game is rarely seen elsewhere. It contributes no small excitement to the festival. The object pulled is a large, smooth rattan rope 30 m long. The marker is a post, usually of lim wood, the size of a communal-house column. A round hole is bored through the post body to thread the rattan rope. The post is firmly buried in the ground, with the rope hole at the knee height of an adult. Before pulling, the rattan rope is wedged tightly in the post hole. The male tug-of-war players sit with one leg bent and one extended. In each side's formation, they sit alternately, one facing one side of the rope and the next facing the other. Each person extends one arm straight while the other is bent before the chest, and the rope is clamped tightly under the armpit of the bent arm. After three signal drumbeats, the wedge is removed and the teams begin to pull. If the upper-road side (the root side) wins, that year is considered a year of great blessing for the village. On December 19, 2014, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism issued Decision No. 4205/QD-BVHTTDL recognizing the "Sitting Tug-of-War" ritual at Tran Vu Temple as a national intangible cultural heritage. In December 2015, traditional Asian tug-of-war was recognized by UNESCO as a Representative Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity under the name "Tugging Rituals and Games", submitted jointly by four countries: Cambodia, South Korea, the Philippines, and Vietnam. According to Vietnam's nomination file, UNESCO recognized "Tugging Rituals and Games" as a Representative Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity for four provinces: Lao Cai, Vinh Phuc, Bac Ninh, and Hanoi, including the Sitting Tug-of-War at Tran Vu Temple - Thach Ban Ward - Long Bien District - Hanoi City.

Tran Vu Temple was recognized as a national-level relic by Decision No. 1539 dated December 27, 1990, of the Ministry of Culture - Information - Sports and Tourism. Through many ups and downs of history, the temple has still been preserved and embellished and remains a bright spiritual destination for the local community and visitors from all directions.