Tiên La Temple – Commemorating the Great General Vũ Thị Thục of Đông Nhung

Tiên La Temple, situated in Hưng Hà district, Thái Bình province, is a revered site honoring the national heroine Vũ Thị Thục, who made outstanding contributions in resisting the Eastern Han army under the leadership of the Trưng Sisters.

Tiên La Temple – Commemorating the Great General Vũ Thị Thục of Đông Nhung

Located on the banks of the Tiên Hưng River, Tiên La Temple is a renowned historical, cultural, and religious landmark. The temple encompasses spaces for both Buddhist and Mother Goddess worship, reflecting ancient ethnic beliefs. Additionally, it pays homage to Vietnamese luminaries through age-old spiritual rituals.

The revered figure at Tiên La Temple is Vũ Thị Thục, who lived during the Han dynasty in Phượng Lâu (now Phù Ninh, Phú Thọ). Engaged to Chu Diên, the son of the district chief (now part of Nam Định, Thái Bình, Hưng Yên), she refused Tô Định's advances, leading to his wrathful massacre of her parents and the destruction of Phượng Lâu.

Protected by her relatives, Vũ Thị Thục fled by boat down the Red River and settled in this area to wage war against her adversaries, seeking retribution and repaying debts to her homeland. In the sacred land of Đa Cương, she rallied troops, raised a flag bearing the golden words “General of Eight Calamities,” conducted celestial and terrestrial ceremonies, and mobilized forces to resist invading armies.

Thuc Nuong strategically fortified the surroundings of Tiên La, erected granaries, distributed supplies, and cleared land for farming. She personally cultivated a plot of land, known locally as the Mau Field. In 39 AD, the Trung Sisters raised the rebellion flag, and General Bat Nan led troops from Da Cuong to join forces in resisting the Eastern Han army.

Subsequently, she was honored by Trung Vuong as Princess Thuc Trinh, the Great General of Dong Nhung, for her numerous contributions to defeating the Eastern Han aggressors. However, facing overwhelming enemy forces, she chose to sacrifice herself at Kim Quy hill to uphold her honor. It was at this sacred site that the people erected Tiên La Temple to commemorate her for generations to come.

Tiên La Temple was recognized as a national historical and cultural relic in 1986. Situated on a 6,000-square-meter land at Kim Quy hill, it features ancient architecture with a 'Front Palace - Rear Shrine' layout. The front of the temple faces the Tien Hung river. The majestic two-story triple gate is adorned with stone horses, elephants, and female warriors carved from stone - some wielding swords, others holding sword hilts with dignity.

Tiên La Temple comprises main structures such as the outer triple gate, inner triple gate, front altar, middle altar, and rear palace. Surrounding the temple are lush greenery and numerous meticulously crafted and vividly portrayed structures like the intertwining 'Dragon - Unicorn - Turtle - Phoenix' motifs alongside 'Pine - Bamboo - Chrysanthemum - Plum blossoms.

Within the temple, grand portraits praising the Trung Dynasty and the virtues, talents, and beauty of the female general Bat Nan Thuc Nuong are preserved. Through multiple renovations, the temple has now expanded into a grand, splendid complex, encompassing various subsidiary structures like the temple gate system, front hall, middle hall, upper hall, and the courtyard system.

Additionally, Tiên La Temple houses numerous aesthetically valuable ceremonial objects such as ceramic incense burners from the Le era, divine documents and imperial edicts from the Le to Nguyen dynasties, stone steles, and exquisite ceremonial bells, all of significant historical value...

In 2016, the Tiên La Festival was listed as a national intangible cultural heritage. The festival serves as a profound expression of gratitude towards the merits of ancestors, enriching the beautiful cultural traditions. Simultaneously, it enhances awareness and responsibility in preserving and promoting the cultural heritage values of the homeland.

According to tradition, every year on the 10th day of the 3rd lunar month marks the opening day of the Tiên La Temple Festival. This is an occasion for locals and tourists alike to light incense to express gratitude to the heroic female warriors. The festival also contributes to educating the younger generation about the proud tradition of brave, indomitable, and resilient struggles of past generations.

During the festival, various rituals and folk games are revived such as water puppetry, rice cake wrapping contest, earth firecracker competition, object contest... The Tiên La Temple Festival also preserves two unique art forms: Ca Tru singing and Van Thu singing, attracting a large number of pilgrims to attend and listen to the performances.

As per Mytour

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Reference: Mytour Travel Handbook