Hoang Xa Communal House and Pagoda, Gia Lam Commune

Hoang Xa is one of the seven villages of Kieu Ky Commune, an administrative unit in the southeast of Gia Lam District, Hanoi City, now Hoang Chu Bao Village, Gia Lam Commune. It is a land characteristic of the Red River delta in the Northern Delta, so the terrain is relatively flat, the population is distributed mainly along both banks of the Nghia Tru River, now the Bac Hung Hai River, and along Road 179, and the economy is mainly agricultural. Like many rural villages in the Northern Delta, the image of the banyan tree, the water wharf, and the communal house yard has become very familiar and dear. For that reason, the names of communal houses and pagodas are often attached to a specific village, and the communal house and pagoda of Hoang Xa village, Kieu Ky Commune, bear their official names after the village. In addition, the pagoda also has the literary name “Hoang Phuc Tu”.

Hoang Xa Communal House worships two tutelary deities: the female general Quoc Nuong Princess and her mother Hoa Nuong Lady.

Based on the village genealogy of Hoang Xa Commune, Gia Lam District, compiled by Hanlin Academy scholar Nguyen Binh in the first year of Hong Phuc, 1572, and copied by the Cabinet of the Ministry of Rites under the Le dynasty in the sixth year of Vinh Huu, 1740, now kept at the Institute of Sino-Nom Studies, the legend of the two tutelary deities of Hoang Xa village can be summarized as follows:

During the first period of Chinese domination of our country, in Duong Lam land there was a daughter of the Dao family named Hoa Nuong. She was a beautiful, modest girl. At 18 she still did not wish to marry anyone, and instead wished not to marry but to follow Buddhism. Hearing that at Dong Cuu hamlet there was Thien Thai Pagoda, where immortals often gathered, she went to view the scenery, saw a pagoda on the mountain and below it the Thien Duc River flowing around. She then vowed to stay and serve as abbess at the pagoda. After a year, one time at noon she went to the river wharf to bathe; she saw auspicious clouds descend, suddenly heaven and earth darkened, daytime became like midnight, wind and rain arose, and she saw a giao dragon coiling around her. Frightened, she ran ashore and returned to the pagoda; then the sky brightened again. At the end of the first watch that night, she dreamed of a man in red armor, with a jade belt, unusually large, coming up from the river and saying: “I am the king of the underwater palace; you have great virtue, and Heaven knows it. Now yin and yang unite in virtue; do not fear.” After saying this, she saw him off. He stepped into a dragon boat, then the boat flew up to heaven and disappeared.

From then on she became pregnant, and people mocked her. Ashamed, she returned to her old homeland. When she reached the beginning of Hoang Xa area, Ha Ton hamlet, Gia Lam District, she saw a peach tree and sat down to rest. At that moment she went into labor and gave birth, on the 13th day of the second month of the Quy Mui year, with no one around. At midnight, dogs in the village barked incessantly, and flocks of birds circled outside the village. At the fifth watch, the local tutelary spirit appeared in a dream to the village elders, saying: “Your village has a divine person born beneath the peach tree. Tomorrow morning, go to the peach tree and welcome the mother and child back to the village; all the people will raise them. Later this person will keep the country peaceful.” Having said this, the spirit disappeared.

Early the next morning, the elders sent people to the peach tree and indeed found the mother and child beneath it, so they brought them back to the village and raised them together. The newborn girl had wondrous innate qualities and an unusual appearance; her beauty made birds fall and fish sink, radiant as the moon, fresh as a flower. Everyone knew she was the daughter of the Water King, so they named her Quoc Nuong. When she grew up, she had strategic and martial talents no less than a man's.

Quoc Nuong heard the call to arms of the Trung Sisters and eagerly set out to serve the country. That very day she recruited more than 2,000 young men from the villages and went straight to the Trung Sisters' camp to enlist. Seeing that she was a woman of strategic talent and bright bearing, they conferred on her the title of Princess and gave her command of troops to suppress the enemy. The next day, she led her generals and soldiers together with the Trung Sisters straight to To Dinh's camp, crushing the enemy's fortifications. From then on the realm was peaceful, the country was governed, and Trung Trac proclaimed herself queen.

She was honored by Queen Trung and rewarded with much gold, silver, and treasure. She declined and asked: “I dare ask Your Majesty only one thing: that later the people of Hoang Xa area, Ha Ton hamlet, worship my mother and me with sacrifices forever.” Queen Trung immediately summoned the elders and people of Hoang Xa area, Ha Ton hamlet, held a feast for them, and told the people and elders: “The early defeat of To Dinh's enemy was thanks in great part to Quoc Nuong. Now an envoy is sent with a decree conferring on her mother Hoa Nuong the title Doan Nghi Trinh Tiet Khiet Phuc Lady. You of Hoang Xa area are permitted to keep the duty of worship. Receive the beautiful women and establish a temple for worship.” Hearing this, the elders performed rites asking that the villagers be allowed to become household servants of Quoc Nuong. Queen Trung then rewarded them with 15 gold ingots to buy land for worship.

Then Queen Trung and Quoc Nuong rode horses into the mountains and disappeared; that day was the first day of the eleventh month. After they passed away, the people repaired the temple and shrine for worship and established the spirit tablets.

In the Thien Phuc year, under King Le Dai Hanh, when reviewing the deities to be worshipped, seeing that the two were spiritually efficacious and manifest, he conferred on Hoa Nuong Lady the title: Local guardian spirit, Chieu Ung Kiet Tiet Tue Tinh Holy Lady; Quoc Nuong Princess was: Thien Tran Canh Ung Hue Hoa Gia Hanh Trinh Nhat Tu Tuong Nhu Y Doan Trang Hoang Tu Lady.

Through the Dinh, Le, Ly, and Tran dynasties, the two deities often manifested miraculous powers, helping the country and protecting the people, and were so efficacious that each dynasty conferred beautiful titles, ranking them as top-grade most sacred spirits.

Through the years, the two tutelary deities Hoa Nuong Lady and Quoc Nuong Princess have always been worshipped and regularly honored by the people of Hoang Xa village.

Hoang Xa Pagoda is a place of worship for Buddhas, Bodhisattvas, and protectors of the Dharma. Being near the Buddhist center of Luy Lau, Hoang Xa village was also an early place to receive Buddhist thought and teachings. This is shown not only in the daily life of the people but also strongly in the village's legendary accounts. Later, the pagoda also worships the Holy Mother, Holy Father Tran Hung Dao, and various princes; this adds further evidence of the worship of national heroes, a distinctive feature of Vietnamese culture.

The Hoang Xa communal house and pagoda complex stands on beautiful land at the head of the village. In front of the complex is a field, behind it is the Bac Hung Hai River, and around it are enclosing gardens, creating a romantic space.

The relic site still preserves extremely valuable Sino-Vietnamese documents that contribute importantly to determining the date of the Hoang Xa communal house-pagoda complex: the stele “Ky ky bi van”, reign of Tu Duc 13, 1806; Chinese characters written on the communal house's ridge: Hoang trieu Bao Dai Binh Ty dong khoi tap Hoang Xa dinh, thu truong thuong luong dai cat; a stele recording the establishment of a rear altar at the communal house in the 11th year of Bao Dai, 1935; the stele at Hoang Xa Pagoda “Ky hau bi van”, 13th year of Bao Dai, 1937; the pagoda bell bearing four Chinese characters “Hoang Phuc Tu Chung” in the Bao Dai Ky Mao year, 1939. From these data, combined with the remaining typical architectural style such as the sets of beams of the main hall and some artifacts preserved at the site, it can be determined that this complex dates at least to the Nguyen period.

Hoang Xa Communal House formerly stood on land outside the village, about 30 m from the present communal house, and the old foundation remains. In the Binh Dan year of the Bao Dai reign, the villagers moved the communal house and rebuilt it at its current location.

At present, the communal house complex includes: the gate, courtyard and garden, pond, main hall, and rear sanctuary. The main architectural structure faces southwest in the shape of the Chinese character dinh. Facing southwest, on one of the most beautiful plots in the village, shows that the ancients were very selective about the communal house's orientation, because this is a spiritual direction; it is believed to accord with the law of harmonious yin and yang, where the deity pacifies and grants blessings to the people, and it is also the direction of wisdom and clarity.

In front of the communal house, separated by a brick yard, is the gate in the style of a four-pillar structure, consisting of two large pillars and two small pillars forming three passages. The pillars are made in traditional style, with kneeling nghe creatures, lantern niches, couplets on the square pillar shafts, and bulb-shaped bases. The central passage has a scroll-shaped screen with many variations and simple decorative motifs of stylized floral patterns; past the gate is a large lotus pond.

The main hall of Hoang Xa Communal House has a fairly large area and space, creating dignity and solemnity for the communal house, and its porch further affirms this. The porch is built of brick and tile in a five-door style corresponding to the interior bays. Most notable is the entrance to the central bay, which has a two-part structure. Above is a two-tiered, eight-roofed imitation overlapping eave. The upper roof tier bears four Chinese characters “Van co anh linh”; the lower roof tier bears images of waves and bats paying homage, symbolizing the five blessings: fu, lu, shou, kang, ning. Below is a passage with a stylized image of two dragons facing the moon. The remaining doors on the left and right are made in matching pairs. The two doors adjacent to the main door support the scroll above. The last door has one roof tier above and stylized dragons below. The doors are separated by pillars. On the pillars are couplets praising the merits of the village tutelary deity. On either side of the main hall are two guardian pillars connected to the main hall by low walls. The two pillars are elaborately made: at the top are four phoenixes facing inward, then lantern niches with relief carving of the four sacred creatures; the shafts have raised edges, lines, and vine patterns; the bases are bulb-shaped; on top of the pillars are couplets. The two walls connecting the pillars also bear two large characters “Nghiem – Tuc” symmetrically, reminding people to be solemn when approaching the gates of the gods. The main hall is a wooden structure of five bays, with closed gable walls and tiled roof. At both ends of the ridge are ridge ornaments and makara dragons holding the ridge. Inside, corresponding to the three main bays, are beam sets structured similarly in the style of “upper gong and stacked beams, lower corbels”. The upper beam set is structured on two large wooden columns resting on high stone bases. Connecting the tops of the two main columns is a strong tie beam; standing on the tie beam are two short posts. Placed on the two short posts are two stacked beams connected by bearing blocks, with their ends supporting the roof purlins. The topmost beam supports the upper ridge via a large square bearing block. Below the tie beam are the head beams; most notable are the four head beams of the central bay. Each is actually a beam tenoned through the main column; one end, pressed close to the tie beam, forms a dragon-head head beam, while the other forms the first beam of the lower beam set carved with dragon body and tail. The dragon head is carved with a wide-open mouth, bulging eyes, animal ears, flying blades at the eyes like catfish whiskers, wavy blade shapes flying backward on the nape, two main interlacing blades under the jaw spreading to both sides, and the neck and body covered with grass-like scales. Through skillful combination of carving techniques, the artisans transformed rough wooden pieces into very lively dragon sculptures in Nguyen style. The lower beam set consists of corbels carved with stylized dragons transformed from leaves. In addition to decorative motifs, the corbels of the side-aisle beam sets were carved by earlier generations with leaf-scroll patterns; these corbels are pierced with a square opening, and the space between the main column and the side beam creates openness for the beam set. The central bay of the main hall is 3.60 m wide; the side bays are 3 m wide. The floor of the side bays is raised 15 cm above the central bay, convenient for rituals, arranging offerings, and communal village activities. In the space between the two lower beam sets at the rear of the central bay is an incense table; on it are ritual objects such as incense burners, censers, candlesticks, and cranes. Above the incense table hangs a horizontal plaque bearing three Chinese characters “Toi linh tu”. Higher than the plaque is a scroll placed on the crossbeam, below which, surrounding the space between the crossbeam and the two rear main columns, is a curtain valance. Couplets hang on the four rear main columns. The eight treasures are placed between the front and rear main columns of the central bay. The two side bays have two small altars with stone stele, incense burners, and candlesticks. In addition, in the main hall, drums and gongs are placed near the entrance. Overall, the arrangement of ritual objects basically follows traditional principles, and the offerings are quite rich.

The rear sanctuary of Hoang Xa Communal House is a three-bay transverse house parallel to the main hall, built on a foundation 20 cm higher than the main hall floor. The beam sets of the rear sanctuary are made in the tied-beam-resting-on-wall style, without carved decoration. Outside the rear sanctuary is a two-tier altar. The upper tier holds the throne and spirit tablet of Hoa Nuong Lady; the lower tier holds traditional ritual objects such as incense burners, fruit trays, and a three-piece set. Inside the rear sanctuary are three altars. The central bay has the main altar. Notably, the throne and spirit tablet set includes a statue of the tutelary deity Quoc Nuong Princess seated on the throne. The two side bays have two altars with thrones and spirit tablets of the two assistants to the tutelary deity.

Hoang Xa Pagoda - “Hoang Phuc Tu” is located immediately to the right of the communal house; the pagoda has an architectural layout in the shape of the Chinese character dinh, including the main structures: front hall, upper hall, Mother's house, courtyard and garden...

The front hall, also called the worship hall, is a five-bay structure built with closed gable walls. The roof is tiled with di tiles; in the middle of the ridge is a scroll bearing three Chinese characters “Khue mon tu”; at both ends of the ridge are makara holding the ridge. At the two gable ends are two pillar structures connected to the front hall by low walls. On these two walls the artisans created two pictures with the themes of the Immortal playing chess and Lu Wang fishing.

Through the wooden door layer “upper lattice, lower panel” of the front hall is the interior of the pagoda. The beam sets of the central and side bays of the front hall are structured in the style of “upper stacked beams, lower brackets”, with structure on the tie beam resting on the wall and porch brackets. The two gable-end beam sets are structured as “stacked beams”, bearing directly on the two gable walls. The carving art on the beam sets is mainly floral and leaf patterns and the character for longevity.

Connected to the central bay of the front hall is the upper hall, also called the main hall, a three-bay longitudinal structure. The beam sets are structured in the rafter style on two rows of column bases.

Standing on both sides of the passage from the front hall to the upper hall are two guardian figures, Trung Ac and Khuyen Thien. Both wear armor and have majestic postures. The Khuyen Thien statue has a gentle face, while the Trung Ac statue has a fierce face and holds a mace pointing forward. Next to the Khuyen Thien statue is the statue of Duc Ong, carved seated on a pedestal with legs hanging down, wearing a winged official's hat and with a black beard. Symmetrical with Duc Ong is the Holy Monk, carved as a monk with a gentle face, wearing a seven-Buddha hat, and teaching the Dharma with his hand. Next is Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva, carved standing on a lotus throne, wearing a Buddhist hat and a kasaya, holding a staff in his right hand and a jewel in the palm of his left hand.

The upper hall is always the center of worship; here the altar is made in tiers from high to low. The statue layers are arranged as follows: At the top, in the highest position, is the set of Three Ages Buddhas, made similarly. The three statues are carved in wood, lacquered and gilded, seated on lotus thrones. The second layer is the set of Amitabha and the Three Saints: in the center is Amitabha, flanked left and right by Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva and Mahasthamaprapta Bodhisattva. The Amitabha statue is carved seated in full lotus on a lotus platform, hands interlaced and placed palms up in the lap. The statue has a broad head and a large, high ushnisha. The hair is in small spiral curls. The face is full and oval; the eyes look down; the ears are large and long; the robe has two layers falling like an inverted lotus petal; the chest bears the character “van”. The third layer is Thousand-Hand Thousand-Eye Avalokitesvara, made by artisans in wood, lacquered and gilded. The statue's countenance is benevolent and gentle; from the body extend eleven pairs of arms to save sentient beings. Flanking it are Kim Dong and Ngoc Nu. The fourth layer is the set of Jade Emperor, Nam Tao, and Bac Dau. The Jade Emperor statue is carved seated in a throne. He wears a heavenly flat crown, hands interlaced, feet in boots, and a dragon robe inlaid with dragons, clouds, and tiger tally. The Nam Tao and Bac Dau statues are made similarly, wearing winged official hats. These are the two kings who oversee life and death in the world. The last layer on the upper hall is the Nine Dragons Court, with the statue of the infant Shakyamuni standing on a lotus throne in the center, bare-chested, left hand pointing to heaven and right hand pointing to earth according to Buddhist tradition, surrounded by nine dragons and celestial musicians welcoming the Buddha at birth. The system of worship statues above are twentieth-century artworks made in the traditional statue-carving style, contributing greatly to the soul of the Vietnamese pagoda. In addition to the Buddhist statue system, these structures also display other artifacts such as bells, couplets, ritual doors, and vases. Notable among them is the bell “Hoang Phuc Tu Chung” dated Bao Dai Ky Mao, 1939.

The Mother House was built behind the main pagoda, consisting of three bays in a simple architectural style. The central bay houses altars to the Three Holy Mothers, the Five Great Mandarins, the Princes, Holy Mother Lieu Hanh, and Holy Father Tran Trieu Hung Dao Dai Vuong. They are all regarded as human deities who rendered meritorious service in helping the people and the country and are worshipped by the people.

Overall, the architectural structures of Hoang Xa communal house and pagoda, though not massive, are quite spacious, making it convenient to arrange relics and ritual objects. The arrangement here is fairly concentrated and reasonable. The relics at Hoang Xa communal house and pagoda are quite diverse in type, quantity, and material, including stone, bronze, wood, ceramic, and paper objects. Among them are some notable relics such as the system of stone steles, horizontal boards, scrolls, and pagoda bells dating to the late Nguyen period, especially a Ngoc Pha scroll bearing the reign title Vinh Huu 6 (1740). In addition, other relics such as sets of long ngai, memorial tablets, and incense altars, although dating from the 20th century, were crafted quite elaborately and meticulously by artisans.

Every year, the Hoang Xa village festival is held from the 11th to the 13th day of the second lunar month; this is an occasion to commemorate the birthday of the village tutelary deity, Lady Quoc Nuong Princess, to remember the merits of her and her mother, Lady Hoa Nuong.

It can be said that the Hoang Xa village festival gathers the basic characteristics of traditional festivals in the Northern Delta. The Moc Duc ceremony takes place on the 11th day of the second month. The water used in the Moc Duc ritual is taken from Cau Chua River, the section passing the peach stump (where Lady Quoc Nuong was born). Offerings to the tutelary deity include both vegetarian and savory offerings placed on the central platform in the communal house yard. The vegetarian offerings are placed above, including incense and lamps, flowers and fruit, and rice cakes. The savory offerings are placed below, including glutinous rice, pork, and wine. Before the August Revolution, on each village festival occasion, a palanquin procession was organized. The procession palanquin was a long dinh palanquin, on which memorial tablets, incense and lamps, and flowers and fruit were placed. The procession began at the village communal house, followed the road through the middle of the fields to the shrine (Nghe) (legend says this is the original peach stump site where Lady Hoa Nuong gave birth to Princess Quoc Nuong); a thousand-year-old duoi tree still remains there. After the ceremony at the shrine, the palanquin was carried back to the communal house. The palanquin had four bearers. Behind the palanquin were the elders of the villages forming 'cha', followed by the village dignitaries.

In addition to the rituals and palanquin procession, during the festival, folk performances such as swinging and tug-of-war are also held at the communal house, taking place at the front of the communal house.

Hoang Xa Communal House - Pagoda was ranked by the Hanoi People's Committee as a Historical - Artistic relic in 2010.