Do Ha Communal House, Do Ha Village, Thuong Tin Commune

According to the accounts of the village elders, Do Ha Village is in an area bordering two rivers: the Nhue River and the To Lich River. In the rainy and stormy season, the river water often rises high, and in some years it flooded the fields... Therefore, the people of Do Ha Village asked for the tablet of the Doc Cuoc deity from Thanh Hoa to worship, hoping that the deity would protect them and bless them with favorable rain and wind.

Regarding the worship of Doc Cuoc at the relic, there are currently a deity genealogy and imperial edicts recorded

copied (provided by the elders of the Management Board).

- The legend of Doc Cuoc has many variants. The deity genealogy, respectfully compiled by the Eastern Pavilion Grand Scholar Nguyen Binh on an auspicious day in the first year of Hong Phuc (1572), and by the official in charge of supervising all deities at Tri Dien, Hung Linh Thieu Khanh Nguyen Hien, following the original text on an auspicious day in the third year of Vinh Huu (1737), records the identity and deeds of the deity as follows:

In ancient times, the great-grandson of Vien De, De Minh, begot De Nghi. While on a hunting tour in the Ngu Linh Mountains in the south, he met a beautiful woman, fell in love with her, and married her. When he returned to the north, Loc Tuc was born. De Minh enfeoffed Loc Tuc to rule the country of Xich Quy (that is, our country of Viet). The king's title was Kinh Duong Vuong; he took the surname Hong Bang and, succeeding his father, passed the country on under the title Lac Long Quan. Lac Long Quan married Au Co, a fairy maiden of Dong Dinh Lake, and then moved to the Ngu Linh Mountains. Above the mountain peak, auspicious five-colored clouds appeared brilliantly. Immediately afterward, Lady Au Co was pregnant for three years and one month. At the due time, she gave birth to a sac of one hundred eggs. Fortunately, one hundred sons hatched, all with extraordinary qualities and famous as heroes of the age. They did not need to be suckled with hardship but grew up by themselves.

At that time, Long Quan had been in the underwater palace for a long time, so he said to Lady Au Co: 'I am of the dragon lineage, and you are of the fairy lineage. Although we conceived through the harmony of yin and yang, the myriad species are different, and water and fire conflict, so we cannot live together and must separate. I will take fifty sons back to the regions of rivers and seas; fifty sons will follow their mother to the mountains. We shall divide the country and rule it.' Au Co agreed. All one hundred sons obeyed. Therefore, Long Quan and fifty sons took leave of the mother and returned to the underwater palace. Au Co took fifty sons to the Bach Hac River in Viet Tri, founded the country, named it Van Lang, made Phong Chau the capital, and chose the most talented among them to be king, called Hung Vuong. Hung Vuong divided the country into 15 regions. The first was Son Tay, the second Son Nam, the third Hai Duong, the fourth Kinh Bac, the fifth Ai Chau, the sixth Hoan Chau, the seventh Bo Chinh, the eighth Minh Chau, the ninth Ai Lao, the tenth Hung Hoa, the eleventh Cao Bang, the twelfth Lang Son, the thirteenth Tuyen Quang, the fourteenth Quang Dong, and the fifteenth Quang Tay. He ordered his brothers, each to govern one place as their familiar domain. From then on, it is said that eighteen generations of kings ruled prosperously for more than two thousand years. Generation after generation, father passing to son, they were all called Hung Vuong, Vang, Ngoc, Lua, La, Xa, Thu. Mountains and rivers were brought under one rule, making him the founding ancestor of the country of Nam Viet.

Through to the reign of the 18th Hung King, the throne passed to Due Vuong, but Due Vuong had no son to continue the line, so he abdicated to Thuc An Duong Vuong (surname Thuc, given name Phan, a native of Ba Thuc). An Duong Vuong ascended the throne, and the line of father-to-son succession lasted five generations. After that, our country of Viet was subjugated for 349 years by the Han, Wu, Jin, Qi, and Liang dynasties. It continued through the Early Ly, Later Ly, Dinh, Le, and Ly dynasties. These dynasties all had wise and enlightened rulers, passing prosperity from one to another. At that time, because a strange thunder omen came early, the Ly dynasty was established, and then the throne was passed to a person of integrity.

When the royal throne was passed to Thai To and Thai Tong, the kings folded their arms and smoothed their robes, and those above and below were harmonious. The people were happy and at peace, digging wells and plowing fields busily everywhere. There was not a single person who was not satisfied in life, nor a single person who was not joyful. In that era, the king was honored as a virtuous ruler!

At that time, people said that in Dong Thang Hamlet, Bao Loc District, Lang Giang Prefecture, Kinh Bac Province of our country of Viet, there was a man surnamed Nguyen named Nghia, who was learned in conduct and whose family for generations kept the virtue of filial piety and respect. He married Mrs. Tran Thi Ngo, a woman of the same hamlet. Mr. Nguyen's family tradition was originally that of a sorcerer, but he made healing his profession. When he and his wife were over 50 years old, they had a son, whom they named Nguyen Le. Nguyen Le studied well, was thoroughly versed in letters, knowledgeable in military strategy, skilled with bow and crossbow, and accomplished in both civil and martial arts. At the age of 22, because he could not foresee Heaven's decree, within only one year both his father and mother died. Mr. Le found good land and conducted the burial. He mourned his parents for three years, serving them with utmost filial piety, and thus fell into ruin. He then wandered at leisure throughout Lang Giang Prefecture. When he returned, he encountered several years of crop failure, and the people were hungry and destitute. Robbery arose everywhere. He sighed: 'Previously I was wealthy and noble; now I am poor. Now, meeting with disorder, with what shall I live? It is better to find a good land to preserve myself and nurture great ambitions.' So he took leave of the people, entrusted the graves, gathered his property himself, and resolved to leave.

One day, when he heard that in Trien Nai Hamlet, Yen Phu District, Tu Son Prefecture, there was a man surnamed Doan named Phuong who was very wealthy, he went to the Doan family to ask to stay. After several years there, the Doan family saw that he was skilled in letters, more intelligent than others, and skilled in military strategy, bow, and crossbow. The Doan family had a daughter named Thi Khoi, just 28 years old, with willow eyebrows and peach cheeks, a beauty that truly could overthrow a country and a city. The Doan family then married Thi Khoi to Nguyen Le. So they chose an auspicious day to join them in marriage; after the wedding was complete, the Doan family told the couple to return to Dong Thang Hamlet, Lang Giang Prefecture, to inform everyone and then perform rites of worship at the ancestral hall and visit the graves of his parents. The couple obeyed. After the work was completed, the two returned to Trien Dong Hamlet to establish their livelihood. When Nguyen Le was 50 years old, Mrs. Doan was growing older but still had not given birth to anyone; the auspicious dream had not yet stirred, and the dragon and snake had not yet responded. One day, the Doan family member was struck by noxious wind; though treated with medicine, he did not recover, and prayers to the deities were also ineffective. He died in the main house. Mr. Le and his wife found good land and conducted the burial.

From then on, Mr. Le's wife devoted herself to doing virtuous deeds, exerted herself to do humane things, and did not do the slightest harm to others; she did not think even a hair's breadth about private gain. In all matters of helping people or doing good in various places, there was no task she did not do with all her heart and strength. Therefore, the local people all praised her as a family accumulating goodness, which would surely enjoy great joy. However, the couple were advanced in years and had never given birth. One day, on the occasion of her father's death anniversary, the couple sighed to each other: 'If people are 30 and have not borne a son, that is truly unfilial. Moreover, now we are old and our children are still scarce day by day. If unfortunately we die early, to whom will the ancestral graves be entrusted? It is better to distribute wealth and do good, praying to have a child to continue the line; if human hearts are seen clearly by Heaven and helped, the auspicious sign will appear and our wish will soon be fulfilled!'

So they devoted themselves to helping the poor and saving the suffering. In all shrines, communal houses, pagodas, and temples, there was no place they did not go to pray. In the house they set up an altar and painted a statue of Bodhisattva Guanyin. By day they offered incense and flowers; by night they chanted the true scriptures. One day they heard that at Tien Son Mountain in the same district there was Truong Lieu Pagoda, a very sacred place where prayers were answered and wishes were seen. Whatever one wished would be repaid. The couple then prepared money, incense, and offerings and went to the pagoda to burn incense and pray: 'I am in the mortal world, poor and without any property, and I have no child, so I beg the compassionate and greatly generous Buddha to witness my sincere heart and grant a little blessing so that my husband and I may have a son; then we will truly be deeply grateful for the compassionate and greatly generous grace of the Buddha!' After praying, the couple slept before the altar. Late at night, he dreamed that in the pagoda there were glorious clouds and smoke, rich fragrance, and golden boys and jade maidens playing flutes, singing, and playing music, along with countless gold, silver, and jewels. He looked up at the hall and saw an official in a purple robe sitting solemnly in the middle. On his left and right were all the officials. Ox-headed figures were displayed everywhere, in thousands of forms. While in the dream, he suddenly saw a person come from outside, with a green face and black body, smiling and talking; he embraced him and went home. When he woke, he knew he had been dreaming. The next day, he and his wife made obeisance and gave thanks before the Buddha, then returned home. Thus the mandarin ducks joined, and the zither and lute harmonized. Fragrance was in the moon chamber. Deep was the sweet dream. Molded in the curtained room, the couple's destiny was united and tender. After that, Mrs. Doan felt her mind stir and became pregnant. At the due time, at the hour of the Tiger on the first day of the twelfth month of the year Dinh Suu, she gave birth to a sac; it opened into the form of a boy with a tall, large shape and a strange body. The person was black as iron, and his voice resounded like thunder. He had a green face, large ears, hair standing on end, vertical eyes, and on his head were three pointed shapes like mountains. Everyone considered him extraordinary. The child called himself the ghost demon spirit general. His parents were afraid, so they had him live separately in one place. After only a few days, the heavenly court sent a celestial strongman down to split the child's body in two and carry it away; the right half was presented to the heavenly court, while the left half was left behind. When the parents returned, they saw only half a person and thought it strange. How could a person with only half a body live? The parents then wrapped him in plants and brought him behind the temple in Trien Dong, where he caught fire and was burned. The people contracted an epidemic. At his grave, day and night, a rumbling sound like thunder came from beneath the ground. Each day, once offerings were brought there and prayers were made, the people became calm. After one hundred days, the burial place was broken open, and a person shot up, calling himself Son Tieu Cuoc Quy Moi great deity, dharma master, famous general, holding supreme authority and guarding the palaces. The people, seeing this, were all awed and submitted. This person made figures from leaves. Then he trained yin soldiers. His military strategy was truly skillful. At the age of 6, in letters he understood literature thoroughly; in martial arts he was thoroughly skilled. Above he was skilled in astronomy, below he understood geography; there was nothing he did not know, no thing he did not understand. His military strategy was refined, and he was skilled with bow and crossbow. His parents, seeing this, loved him dearly and changed his name to Chu Van Minh. At the age of 8, Mr. Minh's father and mother both died. Mr. Minh chose land for burial. After that, he practiced for 10 years and attained the Way. With ten thousand divine powers, he walked in rain, rode clouds, and transformed in countless ways. He flew up and leaped down; sometimes came, sometimes went. Vast like plants and trees, he transformed into human form, gathered bones, and refined the seven temperaments. He combined yin and yang qi to refine three souls. He transformed lifeless things into living forms. He ate demons and swallowed ghosts, cured diseases, and expelled evil. The people were at peace, and things benefited. People far and near who heard of him all came to learn his orthodox Way. Many people made figures from leaves; others made figures from winter maize and trained them to enjoy offerings, so everyone who did it was enthusiastic. The people respected him greatly. Everyone was also joyful and happy.

It is further said: Several years later, one day, while the disciples were sitting in attendance, they saw a strange wind, thunder and rain arose, and he disappeared (that was the 13th day of the twelfth month). The people and the disciples were afraid. They saw termites pile up earth into a large mound. Later, that place became very sacred, and the people built a village shrine to worship him. From then on, the people also became prosperous, healthy, and peaceful. Whenever anyone fell ill, they performed a prayer ritual at the shrine, asked for incense ash to mix with clean water and drink, and the illness would completely vanish.

It is further said that later, in the reign of Tran Thai Tong (1225–1258), the people of Trung Khe Village, Thuy Loi Thuong Commune, Kim Bang District, Ly Nhan Prefecture, Son Nam Province of our country of Viet were infected by noxious air and suffered many diseases. The sick people caused dogs to bark all night; no one could sleep peacefully, so the people performed a prayer ritual at Nga Son Temple. That night, they dreamed of a person riding a red horse, holding gold in his hand, followed by a body of soldiers holding swords and halberds in solemn array, with refined weapons, who called himself Nga Son Great King, the tutelary deity of the people. He then called the village elders and said: 'Why are you people so unaware? This Doc Cuoc spirit general is your sovereign! The heavenly court has decided. Why do you not quickly make offerings and go to Trien Dong Commune, An Phu District, Tu Son Prefecture, to get incense ash, bring it back, mix it with clean water, and drink it? After that, ask to copy the deity's title, bring it back, and build a temple to worship him, and the diseases will be cured. If you do not listen, I will bear a heavy responsibility before Heaven.' When they met in the morning, everyone told the same dream. Immediately, they prepared offerings, brought them to Trien Dong Commune, An Phu District, told the local people what had happened, and obtained a copy of the title of the Doc Cuoc spirit general. They asked for incense ash, brought it back, mixed it with clean water, and drank it; from then on the diseases were cured. Everyone considered it truly efficacious. Therefore, they copied the deity's title and built a temple for worship, passing down incense and fire for ten thousand generations without end, enduring with the country as a model. The deity's virtue is great!

Posthumously honored as Son Tieu Doc Cuoc Chu Van Minh Quy Moi Great Deity.

The deity's birthday and personal name taboos must all be avoided, including the two characters Minh and Moi. The communes are permitted to worship him.

The names of the deity's mother and father clearly recorded in this jade genealogy must all be read with avoidance of their sounds.

The deity's birthday: the 1st day of the twelfth month. The upper offerings (vegetarian feast) include vegetarian food, oan cakes, and cardamom. The lower offerings (food feast).

There are currently 22 imperial edicts to Doc Cuoc Deity, including 15 edicts from the Le era and 05 edicts from the Nguyen era, with the following reign titles: Thinh Duc (01 edict), Canh Tri (01), Duong Duc (01), Chinh Hoa (01), Vinh Thinh (03), Vinh Khanh (01), Canh Hung (05), Quang Trung (01), Canh Thinh (01), Thieu Tri (02), Tu Duc (02), Dong Khanh (01), Duy Tan (01), and Khai Dinh (01).