The central room of the Đển Cờn Temple complex in north east of Nghệ An Province in Vietnam
The Đển Cờn (pronounced sort of like 'Dane kern') Temple complex sits on the banks of the Sông (River) Hoàng Mai immediately down stream of the last bridge – hopefully this might guide foreign visitors who would enjoy the place, but it is hard to find.
Above: The Temple as seen from the River.
To the left: Ceremonial boats moored nearby
The temple overlooks the Sông (River) Hoàng Mai
The temple as approached from the west side
A side view of the main altar area
In translating Vietnamese the English words Pagoda, and Temple are respectively used to mean a religious building, and a secular place of commemoration, usually for a person often long dead, but not always so as in the case of Ho Chi Minh for whom there are many Temples.
An elephant incongruously at the doors
Vietnamese Temples often have rich trappings inherited from Buddhist, Daoist and Confucian systems, and challenge, in one way or another, any simple definition of religion.
The buildings from the rear, to the right the new bricks are evidence of the extensive recent work
This is the Temple's story. The king in the 12th century and his family were shipwrecked in the sea nearby, while fleeing from a Chinese invasion, and he died. As there seemed no hope for the future of the dynasty the family committed suicide. A monk found the bodies in a remarkable state of preservation, and took them to a village upstream of the present temple, where they were buried by a tree and a protective roof erected. Subsequently the village prospered greatly, as did the tree.
However, the jealous inhabitants of the nearby town (where the present Temple stands) came and took the tree to its new position hoping it would bring its luck with it. Whether the luck did follow the tree in the eyes of its thieves is not clear, but certainly over 700 years later the buildings are extensive, well preserved, and much visited to the benefit of the various stall holders, locals, and those with disabilities who sadly have too few alternatives but to profit from such sites.
Another altar...
...and a ceremonial Drum next to it
The tea stall beside all such buildings makes a steady living - this car load, and three people are not there - means a decent reward to the owner
The next page
shows something of making the chopsticks used at every meal in Vietnam. The factory is beside the River Mã in the north of Thanh Hóa Province.
The last page was about a very Vietnamese meal
Go to the Pagoda at the heart of Vietnam
Go to a mosque in Iran
