Mother Goddess temple in Hung Yen

The 3,000 square meter temple faces a half-moon lake and the Red River dike. Since it was built in 1279, the temple has undergone repeated restorations but retains its original beauty.

Its arched gate is impressive with its double-layered roof and three doors. On the arched frame of the gate are ceramic Chinese scripts, translated as “A wise mother on earth.”

Beyond the gate, visitors pass through a yard shaded by ancient trees to the front worshipping hall.

Nguyen Thi Lien, a temple guide, said “In the yard, there are three ancient trees which are more than 800 years old. According to scientists, they are rare trees. Their roots look like a tripod or like a mother’s hand.”

The front worshiping hall has two floors and eight curved in dragon shape roofs. On either side of the hall are the Luu Ly temple and the Quang Han palace. Ms Lien said, “In the front worshiping hall, there’s a poem with gold-plated letters written by Dr. Chu Manh Trinh in 1896. The poem praises the beauty of the temple. There’s also a palanquin carved with the complex patterns of the later -Le dynasty. The palanquin is sometimes called the dragon palanquin.”

In the temple are many artifacts from the 18th and 19th century and royal decrees and parallel sentences of the Le and Nguyen dynasties.

Pilgrims come here to pray for love, luck, peace, and prosperity. Duong Xuan Hung, a pilgrim from Hai Phong, said, “After visiting the Mother Goddess temple, I feel calm and peaceful. The temple has a beautiful architecture and landscape.”

The Mother Goddess Temple Festival in Hung Yen takes place from the 10th to the 15th day of the 3rd lunar month drawing a crowd of visitors. The ritual ceremony features a palanquin procession while other festival activities include folk games and ceremonial singing performances.

Dinh Thi Lien, a member of the Management Board of the Mother Goddess Temple, said “The festival begins on the 10th day. On the 12th day, there’s a palanquin procession of the Mother Goddess around the streets and to Hien temple. Wherever the procession stops, the locals prepare offerings to worship the Mother Goddess. The 13th day is the death anniversary of the Mother Goddess. On the 15th day, we organize another procession to carry her back to the temple. We also hold a big feast to worship the Mother Goddess on the 14th day of the 7th lunar month.”

The Mother Goddess Temple is becoming increasingly popular with tourists and pilgrims.