Hoang Xa Quan
Introduction
Hoàng Xá Temple belongs to Du Nghệ Hamlet, Quốc Oai Commune, Hà Nội City, and is located near Hoàng Kim Pagoda (Một Mái Pagoda) and the Hoàng Xá mountain-and-cave complex, Hoa Sơn Pagoda, Văn Xương Shrine, and the village communal house. The temple sits right on the main road, with its back against the Hoàng Xá mountain and caves.
The temple worships General Lữ Gia, Chancellor of Nam Việt, around 136–111 BCE. He was the person who controlled the political arena of Nam Việt in its final years and ultimately failed before the Han invasion.
Hoàng Xá Temple has a Dinh-character layout, comprising the following structures: Nghi Môn gate, Tiền Tế front hall, and Hậu Cung rear sanctuary.
The Nghi Môn consists of two large ornamental pillars crafted identically. Atop each pillar is a four-phoenix motif in stylized form, with heads and tails radiating in four directions. Below the four phoenixes is a lantern-shaped panel decorated with cloud clusters. The pillar shafts are edged with raised lines and bear pairs of Chinese-character couplets. The pillar bases are waisted. Low walls connect from the two pillars around the perimeter, separating the worship space from the residential space.
The Tiền Tế is a horizontal building with three bays and two side wings, structured with gable walls and ornamental pillars. In front of the porch are a pair of stone dragons facing the gate; over time they have been eroded. The roof-supporting truss follows the 'upper stacked beams with secondary purlins, lower cantilevered eaves' style, on four rows of columns with one concealed column.
The Hậu Cung is a longitudinal building connected from the two central bays of the Tiền Tế to the rear, consisting of three bays. There are three passageways leading inside. Two are small side-door passages. The main passage is wide and airy, with three sliding wooden doors. The innermost bay of the Hậu Cung is the most solemn place. Here stands a raised altar to the village tutelary god. Inside is a statue of Lữ Gia carved in the Mạc Dynasty, well-proportioned and lifelike, seated on a throne, wearing a headdress, with one hand palm up and the other palm down on his thighs.
