Tho Tang Pagoda

            The Pagoda is in Tho Tang town, Vinh Tuong District and built in XVII century. Years and months passed, but Tho Tang Pagoda preserves rather its original about the architecture existed under the later Le dynasty.

 

The Pagoda cults a well-known general named Lan Ho. Lan Ho defeats the Mongolian enemy in XIII century. Legend has it that, following King’s Order, Lan Ho leads his troops to Giai Ninh region (now is a zone of Phu Tho Province) to make a front and arrange a battle. He commands his troops to fight heroically and wipe out the enemy safeguarding Thang Long capital. By present, along the strip land from Duc My-Son Vi (Phu Tho Province) through Vinh Tuong-Yen Lac (Vinh Phuc Province) has a system of Lan Ho historic vestiges. Tho Tang is a center for organizing the festival with many a items of folk performnces and customs to remember Lan Ho and the war against the out invaders under Tran dynasty.

Tho Tang Temple is constructed with a large scale. There are two buildings with architecture under the form of “Ting” (a Chinese word). The great Temple has five rooms, two support offices and six rows of pillars. Its harem has two rooms. There are sixty pillars in the Temple. The pillars are made of the best wood. The main pillar has its diameter of 0.80m; the small pillars have their diameter of 0.61m. The ground of the Temple is 25.80 x 14.20m, binding the green stone around the ground. Its structure is under the form of four main pillars and strong reinforcement.

There are twenty-one wooden boards with precise carvings. These boards are easily seen at the body bands, support bars, etc… these carvings reflect a rich consequences of life: working-trading-enjoying of our agricultural working people under the middle prosperous Ly dynasty. These carving are put in order as above consequence. When coming into the front of the Temple, we can see the “field working festival” then “wild beast firing” to safeguard the crops. The entertaiments have “kicking ball” “playing chess” “drinking alcohol” “dancing”. Family activities have “young couple talking in confidence” and “happy family”. Critisings have “making a scense of jeeajousy”, “a lasy couple”. On worships have “nine dragons fight over the pearl”, “eight fairies over the sea” and many other figures of dragons, phoenixes.

Tho Tang Temple is one of the top of fine art of wooden carving under the later Le dynasty, is the first national assorted vestige of Vinh Phuc Province. For recent decades, the Temple is attracted the researchers to further study and propose the solutions for preservation of the Temple.