Bang Cuc Temple

The temple is located in a spacious and beautiful campus in the heart of Bang Cuc village. Behind the temple is a pagoda, creating a complex with the style “Front is God, Behind is Buddha.” The temple is 20.4 meters long and 10.6 meters wide, including three compartments and two lean-tos with four curved roofs.

The Bang Cuc Temple does not have a rear chamber like other temples. The worshipping place is located in the middle chamber, the most important section of the temple. In the front worshipping chamber, there is an altar which is one meter wide and converges the most unique sculptural values of the temple.

In front of the altar is a wooden screen carved with dragon and unicorn figures, focusing on the theme “luong long chau nhat” (two dragons flanking a sun). The image of the sun was stylized into a dragon face looking to the front. On the two sides of the screen are lovely images of dragons riding unicorns. The two corner parts of the altar were carved with dragon heads holding pearls in their mouths. The front worshipping chamber was carved with dragon figures in different poses. In the middle is the image of dragons flanking the sun. The plank system of the altar was carved with fairies riding dragons, each features two separate pictures, divided by a horizontal edge. 

The picture features a fairy wearing a lotus crown and riding a big dragon. Surrounding the fairy are various big and small dragons in different poses. 

Besides beautiful and sophisticated decorations, showing the talents of ancient artisans, the temple is preserving many old documents and antiques such as three Phu Lang pottery pots of incense dating back to the 19th century, one wooden palanquin and one ancestral tablet from the Nguyen dynasty. On the tablet writes six Han scripts meaning “Cao Son – Quy Minh Dai Vuong”. 

Apart from architecture values, Bang Cuc Temple also witnessed important events in the cause of national liberation. It was a location of contact of De Tham insurgent army in the resistance war against France. From 1943 to 1944, the temple served as a secret place of contact of Viet Minh organization (League for Vietnamese Independence). In 1951-1952, Regiment 36 (North North Regiment) exercised here to increase troops for the Dien Bien Phu battlefield. The temple was also the headquarters of the Resistance Administrative Committee of Quang Minh commune (now Ngoc Chau commune) and a ritual cultural centre of local people. Annually, the temple’s festival is held in the 12th day of the first lunar month with special folk games such as cock-fighting, wrestling, and tug of war, drawing large numbers of locals and visitors.

The Bang Cuc Temple was restored under the Nguyen Dynasty in the late 19th century and early 20th century. Through the time, the temple has degraded. In 1990, 1994 and 1996, local people contributed to upgrading the temple but kept its original values.

With historical and architectural values, the Bang Cuc Temple has been recognized as a national relic site.

Colonel, Associate Professor, Doctor Nguyen Van Can