Story has it that, Hùng kings (4,000 years ago) had to go all corners to find out such a place for worshipping (Nghĩa Lĩnh mount) where from, the whole Northern delta and provinces could be viewed. The mount itself looks like the head of a dragon looking over South and the body lies in mountain ranges: Trọc, Vặn, Pheo with Thao river to the West, Lô river to the East, the two natural silk bands, considered to be natural borders. There are four temples, a pagoda and a tomb in the complex. In 2005, temple: “nation’s ancestral mother” was newly built (originally in Hiền Lương commune, Hạ Hòa district in the Northwest of Hùng temple complex).
The main entrance is guarded by two Gods. 225 stone-steps lead to lower temple where the ancestral mother gave birth to a pact of one hundred eggs, then born into 100 children. In front is the “stele-house” inscribed with merits of the kings. In the garden, there’s a 700-year-old tree (thiên tuế). On the right is pagoda Thừa Long Tự (also called Thiền Quan Tự) and a belfry in front.
From the lower temple we go on 168 stone-steps to the mid-temple where 2, 300 years ago the kings and their generals usually met and discussed the national issues. There still remain a set of stone tables and stool and it’s legendarily said to be the place where prince Lang Liêu offered bánh chưng (square cake) and bánh dầy (round cake) to the king father. Later, a small temple was built by the people dedicated to “Hùng kings ancestral temple”.
It takes 102 stone-steps more to the upper temple where Hùng kings built a small temple to worship heavens, gods of 3 mountains (Hùng, Trọc and Vặn) and the god of rice.
From the upper temple, we go down to đền Giếng (well pagoda) where two princesses Tiên Dung and Ngọc Hoa used to wash faces, comb hair and make up. The well is inside the pagoda and now it becomes a worships-palace for beauty and love for pilgrims, mostly young people.
Next to the complex in Nghĩa Lĩnh mountain is the service -area: museum, guest-houses, parking lots, flower-gardens… Many artefacts and historic relics are well-preserved.
An excursion on official ceremony (10th of lunar March), visitors will be entertained with local traditional sports and games and cultural performances (ca trù, hát ví…) and wrestling, water puppetry, cock-fight… especially hát xoan, hát ghẹo that can only be discovered in Phú Thọ and performed in the evenings.
A pilgrimage to the Mecca is an encouragement to national pride and development. The whole relic-complex is being expanded and upgraded to welcome the fellow country people and foreigners to the nation resources.
KIM LIÊN