Hoa Ma Communal House, Temple, and Pagoda

The village name Hoa Ma was given in the early 19th century; before that it was called Doi Ma. The grounds include: the pagoda in the middle, with a shared courtyard in front; to the right of the pagoda is the communal house, and to the left is the temple.
Hoa Ma Pagoda has the Sino-Vietnamese name Thien Quang Tu (Light of Heaven), and is said to date from the Ly dynasty. Traces of the pagoda from the Ly period in architecture and artifacts no longer remain. The statues in the Buddha hall today mainly bear the artistic style of the 18th and 19th centuries. The entire system of 26 steles currently kept at the relic mainly dates from the Nguyen dynasty and records the restoration of the main pagoda, the Patriarch's house, statue repainting, bell casting, and printing of sutras and books... The main pagoda has a floor plan in the shape of the character “din” (including the front hall and upper hall), the Patriarch's house behind the upper hall, the Mother's house to the left of the upper hall, the four-graces house to the right of the front hall, the monastic stupa and tomb area, and a guest house to the right of the courtyard in front of the front hall. The elders say that there was once the Doi Ma Palace or Canh Y Hall here, built on Kim Quy mound. Every year at the beginning of spring, the king and his retinue came to rest, change clothes and horses, and perform rituals before going to sacrifice to Heaven at the Nam Giao altar.
According to documents kept at Hoa Ma communal house, the village tutelary deity honored is the “Former Dynasty Eunuch Duke”, a eunuch who guarded the Canh Y Hall of the previous dynasty. Based on the royal decree currently preserved at the relic dated Canh Hung 44 (1783), the deity was conferred the beautiful title and continued to be worshipped as Pham Dai Vuong; thus that Le dynasty official was a eunuch surnamed Pham. Based on this decree together with a pair of phoong statues still at the relic in the artistic style of the Later Le period, it can be concluded that Hoa Ma communal house was initially built around the Later Le period before 1783. The relic was restored in the first year of Bao Dai (1926), as recorded on the stele “Hau Ky bi ky” currently placed at the pagoda.Inaddition, the communal house still keeps a set of dragon throne with altar tablet and a pair of trough-heart couplets - art of the 14th - 20th centuries. In 2021, the communal house was restored on the old ground with a single-row building in the shape of the character “nhat” according to the artistic style of the Nguyen period.
Also located on the grounds is Hoa Ma Temple, whose Sino-Vietnamese name is “Thien Tien Linh Tu” (sacred temple of Thien Tien), Luu Ly Linh Tu. The relic faces south, the same direction as the ancient Hoa Ma pagoda. This temple worships Lady Lieu Hanh and the Mother Goddesses according to Vietnamese folk beliefs.
Currently the temple keeps 11 royal decrees from the Le to Nguyen dynasties; the oldest decree dates to the first year of Canh Thinh (1792) under the Tay Son dynasty, and one bronze bell “Thien Tien dien chung” cast in the 5th year of Thieu Tri (1845). Through this, it can be presumed that Hoa Ma Temple was at least initially built in the Le dynasty in the 18th century, before 1792, possibly at the same time as the village communal house. The temple was extensively restored in 1935; on the upper beam of the front hall there is a clear Chinese inscription “Dai Nam Bao Dai At Mui nien”. The overall layout of the temple includes: the temple gate, courtyard, main temple, Son Trang grotto, and 3 shrines. The main temple includes: Front Hall, Front Ritual Hall, Central Ritual Hall, and Rear Palace. The ancient Hoa Ma Temple still preserves traces in its architecture and artifacts from the time of its founding to the present, becoming evidence of the long history of the relic and the process of establishing the village and commune.
Every year, local people usually hold festivals twice a year on the 15th day of the first lunar month and the 8th day of the fourth lunar month. With such rich historical and cultural significance, the Hoa Ma communal house - temple - pagoda relic complex was recognized as a National relic in 1986.