Quan Thanh Temple
Introduction
The temple was first built in the 12th century on a small scale. By the 15th century it was built on its current scale. In the 10th year of Khai Dinh (1925), the temple underwent major repairs. In 1996 it was extensively renovated to its present state.
Quan Thanh Temple was built in the shape of the character 'Nhat', with its roof frames supported by two rows of wooden columns, and the roof structure in the style of stacked beams. The surrounding walls are built of ancient laterite. The roof is covered with boat-prow-style tiles with curved eaves. Architectural decorations feature the four sacred animals, dragons and clouds, and stylized flowers, leaves, and scroll patterns in the Le Trung Hung style.
The temple still preserves an ancient stele, 'Record of the establishment of the palace of the Saint of Vietnam', engraved in the year of Nham Tuat, Canh Hung 3rd year of the Le dynasty (1742).
Legend says that the 7th day of the third lunar month is the death anniversary of Zen Master Tu Dao Hanh, so the people take that festival as the main ceremony (great sacrifice). On this day, all four hamlets—Da Phuc, Thuy Khue, Sai Khe, and Khanh Tan—are present with four palanquins bearing the village tutelary deities' tablets and offerings from the four villages to pay respects to Saint Tu.
From the villages, the village deity palanquins are successively carried to Thay Pagoda to pay homage. Leading the procession are villagers carrying banners, elderly men serving as ritual attendants, followed by five-direction flags, halberds, gongs, and drums. Next is the bat cong palanquin carrying the village tutelary deity's tablet along with incense, flowers, cakes, and fruit, shaded by parasols and fans. Behind the palanquin are the drum team and the ritual music band (flute, two-string fiddle, ancient drum, don drum, and rice drum), together with villagers proceeding from each village's communal house yard to the pagoda yard. Around 3 p.m., the palanquins of the four villages have assembled in order in front of the pagoda yard. After the offering ceremony, the procession sets out from Thay Pagoda to Thien Mound (Quan Thanh Mound)—legend says this is where Ming troops burned the body of Zen Master Tu Dao Hanh.
The route from Thay Pagoda to Quan Thanh is about 1.5 km, but the procession moves very slowly. After two hours on the road, upon reaching Quan Thanh, the hamlets carry the offerings into the temple for the monk and the official overseeing the temple to perform the ceremony to the Saint. His tablet is carried to the main altar and stays there for one hour, facing his mother's homeland—Mrs. Tang Thi Loan. Meanwhile, the Saint's yellow robe is replaced with a Buddhist monk's robe. This form is called by the people 'the deity goes to the Buddha', reenacting the cultivation process of Saint Tu, who first practiced immortal cultivation, attained the way, and then practiced Buddhism. After about one hour, with the meaning (one watch of the Than hour, paying homage to the Holy Mother), the procession returns to the pagoda.By the time they return, it is already dusk.
