It might be enough to get tired after traveling a long way from the center of Hanoi to Nam Dinh Province. But the tiring mood would soon go away when the gray entrance of a famous ancient temple in the coastal province comes into sight.
 A view of the Tran Temple. |
The temple is where the Tran kings are worshipped since Nam Dinh was the homeland of the Tran Dynasty in the 13-14th centuries. In the first one or two months of the lunar calendar, it becomes crowded as people from all walks of life converge there to pay tributes to the heroes under the Tran Dynasty, including General Tran Hung Dao (1228-1300) well known for his triumphs over the mighty Mongol Yuan Dynasty under Kublai Khan.
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| The entrance of the Tran Temple. |
Nam Dinh – situated south of the northern delta and surrounded by Ninh Binh Province in the west, Ha Nam Province in the northwest, Thai Binh Province in the northeast and the sea in the southeast – is therefore seen as a place for ancestor worship, not a key textile manufacturing area any more.
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| The lake at the temple reflects the philosophy of Feng Shui. |
Covering over 10 hectares in Tuc Mac Hamlet, Loc Vuong Commune, around 80 km from central Hanoi, Tran Temple comprises Thien Truong (the upper temple) where the 14 Tran kings are worshipped, Co Trach (the lower temple) dedicated to Tran Hung Dao, and Bao Loc Temple, the tomb and statue of Tran Hung Dao.
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| Worshipper buys votive paper and incense at a stand in front of the temple to offer to the Tran Kings. |
Every year countless numbers of people, especially the country’s leaders, visit the temple as a series of rituals and cultural activities are organized for proclamation worshipping, palanquin procession, cheo and van singing, bai bong and sword dances, and wrestling.
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| A huge bronze incense-burner in front of the worshipping house. |
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| A staff member of the temple writes a petition on yellow paper for a couple. |
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| A worshipper (R) donates money to make merit. |
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| Singers sing a prayer for peace, happiness and prosperity while Shamanism, an animistic religion of mediation between the visible and spirit worlds, is practiced. |
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| A shaman mediates between the visible and spirit worlds while believers look on. |
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| Worshippers say their prayers at an altar inside the temple. |
