|
> Ngoc Son
Temple
Geologists believe
that the lake was once part of the Red River left
behind when the river changed its course to where
it is today. The change of the river's course took
place a thousand years ago but it was named
Restored Sword (Hoan Kiem) only five centuries
ago. In the past the lake was called Luc Thuy
(Blue Water) because the water remained blue
throughout the four seasons. By the 15th century,
however, the lake had acquired its name, "Restored
Sword" through the following legend.
When Le Loi lived in Lam Son village, he received
a sword that he used and always kept with him
during the ten years of war against the Ming
invaders. After he had defeated the enemy, he
returned to Thang Long (Flying Dragon) where one
day while boating on Blue Water Lake, two turtles
suddenly emerged on the surface. He took out his
sword and pointed it at them but they snatched the
sword and took it underwater. Le Loi thought that
God had given him the sword to fight against the
Ming and now that the enemy had been defeated, God
had taken it back. The King changed the lake's
name to Hoan Kiem (the Restored Sword Lake).
Around 1738, Lord Trinh Giang set up Khanh Thuy
Hall on a pearl island where he used to enjoy the
summer breezes. By the 19th century, a pagoda
dedicated to Buddha had been built on the Khanh
Thuy Hall's grounds. Later this pagoda was turned
into a temple dedicated to Van Xuong, a legendary
figure who was the protector of literature and
examinations, and to Tran Hung Dao, a Vietnamese
hero who had defeated the Yuan invaders in the
13th century. In the temple, there is a statue of
Quan Vu, en elite general of the Thuc Han dynasty
of China who was famous for his loyalty and a
statue of La To, famous for his practice of
medicine.
In 1865, Nguyen Van Sieu, one of Hanoi's great
cultural figures, took responsibility for the
repairs of the entire area. On Doc Ton hill, he
had a stone tower built in the shape of a writing
brush. On the tower's body, he had engraved three
words "Ta Thanh Thien" which mean writing on the
blue sky.
Passing through But (Pen) Tower, you come to
Nghien Tower, a curved gate on which a half-peach
shaped inkstone was placed. On the Nghien Tower,
there is a story engraved telling of the
usefulness of the inkstone in terms of its
philosophy. After the Nghien Tower is the Huc
Bridge ("the place where morning sunlight
focuses"). The other end of the bridge is the
waiting-for-the-moon house (Dac Nguyet Lau) which
is also the Ngoc Son Temple's gate. The temple has
three main buildings; the front one is for reading
prayers, the middle dedicated to Van Xuong and the
last dedicated to Tran Hung Dao. Looking from a
distance in the lake's southwest corner is Turtle
Tower. This was built at the end of the 16th
century and has no historical or aesthetic value,
but because it has stood here for so many
centuries, it has become significant to the people
of today.
|
