Huệ Linh Stone Mausoleum (Market Hamlet Mausoleum)

Huệ Linh Stone Mausoleum (Market Hamlet Mausoleum)

The Huệ Linh Mausoleum (in Lại Yên 4 Hamlet, Sơn Đồng Commune, Hà Nội) has rectangular grounds (9.66 x 20.85 m) surrounded by a sturdy laterite wall. The main architectural axis uses solid blue stone, arranged symmetrically and meticulously from the outside inward. The arched gate has a roof bearing the Sino-Vietnamese inscription “Huệ Linh từ”; on either side it is guarded by a pair of seated stone dogs wearing bells. Passing through the gate is the mausoleum courtyard, where a pair of stone elephants stands in attendance, carved in a lively realistic style. It consists of two symmetrical buildings with drooping roofs; the outer walls bear relief carvings of martial generals holding weapons in a majestic manner. Here is carved a pair of Sino-Vietnamese parallel sentences praising the ancestors’ blessings and the descendants’ aspiration to pass examinations and serve as officials at court.

Two stele houses preserve two large stone steles erected in the 9th year of Vĩnh Thịnh (1713), namely “Phạm công gia phả ký” and “Huệ Linh từ hậu thần bị văn…”. Along the spirit path are two stone offering tables carved with flowers, leaves, and tiger symbols in a finely detailed manner. Next is a stone gate in the style of a four-roofed house carved with dragons, leading into the burial area, which contains a blue stone block inscribed “Phạm tướng công linh mộ” and a laterite screen in the shape of a house behind it. He was born in 1658 (Mậu Tuất), originally surnamed Nguyễn, and later changed to his mother’s surname. He was a person of outstanding talent, twice passed examinations with high honors, and had a brilliant career advancement through many important military, diplomatic, and supervisory positions (such as Tả đề điểm, envoy to Ai Lao, managing elephant troops, foreign ships, and border districts). By the age of 56 (1713), he had been promoted to the post of Grand Chief Eunuch. The stele for the later deities and Buddhas records him as a virtuous man who wholeheartedly helped the poor and needy. He donated a large amount of personal property to public causes, including: spending 616 quan of money along with gold and silver to build a shrine; donating 65 quan of money and 6 mẫu of fields to the pagoda; and also providing 360 quan of money, gold, and silver for sacrificial fields and 8 mẫu of fields as charity fields for the local people.

Huệ Linh Mausoleum functions as a shrine, so the people also call it a văn chỉ and worship there on the full moon of the first lunar month. Legend has it that he was the maternal uncle of Phạm Đôn Nghị, the owner of Hiển Linh Stone Mausoleum.

Huệ Linh Stone Mausoleum was ranked as an architectural and artistic relic by the Ministry of Culture and Information in 1964.