Ta Phu Temple Relic – A sacred place in Ky Lua market street

– Among the famous spiritual places in Xu Lang, it is impossible not to mention the relic of Ta Phu temple worshiping Than Cong Tai. Honoring the merits of ancestors, over the years, the government and people of Hoang Van Thu ward, Lang Son city have had many positive solutions to contribute to preserving and promoting the value of the temple for posterity…

According to the epitaph kept at the temple, this temple was built by the people of 7 market wards in Doan Thanh of Lang Son together with 13 Chinese trading wards together in 1683. Ta Phu Temple (Ta Phu Linh Tu) has the architecture including 2 buildings, following the style of Cong, facing the West. The temple is dedicated to Ta do doc, Han quan cong Than Cong Tai, who contributed to the expansion of Ky Lua market street, improving the lives of the people of Lang Son ethnic groups.

In the last days of July 2021, we had the opportunity to follow the cultural official of Hoang Van Thu ward to visit the relic of Ta Phu temple. According to our observations, the arrangement and system of worshiping objects here are very neat, tidy and clean, showing the respect and gratitude of the People for the god they worship. Mr. Phi Van Hoa, Head of the Standing Division of Ta Phu Temple Relic said: “On average, each year, Ta Phu temple relic welcomes over 9,000 visitors. Therefore, to ensure that the relic is clean and sanctified, every day, we 5 people together clean the temple, cover the altar, sweep leaves on the roof.

A member of the Standing team of the Temple researches epitaphs at Ta Phu Temple

On the side of the government, over the past time, the City People’s Committee has implemented many systematic solutions to contribute to preserving and promoting the value of this relic. Specifically, in 2019, the City People’s Committee directed relevant specialized departments to complete the issuance of land use right certificates for the temple with an area of ​​343.7 m2; to install 4 signposts at the roads leading to the relic. At the same time, the City Division of Culture and Information was assigned to pay attention to and guide the People’s Committee of Hoang Van Thu ward in the management and protection of the relic.

Mr. Phung Manh Cuong, Vice Chairman of the People’s Committee of Hoang Van Thu Ward, said: “The ward has established a Standing team of Ta Phu temple relic for the 2018-2021 term, consisting of 5 members who regularly monitor and clean the temple. In 2019, the ward printed 5,000 leaflets introducing its historical values ​​and Ta Phu temple festival. Every year, the Ward People’s Committee coordinates with the standing team of the temple to replace the LED system at the temple door, the chandelier inside the temple… with a total cost of about 10 million VND from the socialization source.”

In addition, the City People’s Committee has studied and developed a draft of the project “Renovating stele historical relic and Ta Phu temple, Hoang Van Thu ward, Lang Son city” to request competent authorities to appraise and approve. The propaganda also receives attention from by the City People’s Committee. It directs the Culture and Sports Division to integrate the propaganda about the Temple into activities at Ky Lua Walking Street; From 2019 to now, the city has published more than 20 propaganda articles about the city’s system of monuments and cultural heritages, including Ta Phu temple relic on the city’s website, on the page of Lang Son – the city of peach blossoms”.

Ms. Pham Thi Thuan, Deputy Head of the City Division of Culture and Sports said: “In the coming time, we will continue to coordinate in the management, protection and promotion of relics in the area, including Ta Phu Temple. At the same time, we will promote and introduce the value of Ta Phu temple relic to tourists inside and outside the province. We also increase the mobilization of socialization resources to contribute to the embellishment and repair of temple items, meeting the people’s spiritual needs.”

Ta Phu temple relic is a valuable cultural resource of Lang Son city in developing spiritual tourism. The temple is both a sacred place for people to send their spiritual aspirations and a educational address of the tradition”drinking water, remembering the source”. Therefore, it is necessary to pay attention to preserving and promoting this relic, contributing to preserving it for posterity.

At present, Ta Phu temple still preserves a number of precious artifact such as the ancient message “Hoai Duc Ham Ninh”; the stele “Ton su phu bi” which was created in the year of the Pig, the 4th Chinh Hoa era in 1683… In 1993, Ta Phu Temple was ranked a national relic by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism. The festival of the temple is held from 22 to 27 in the first lunar new month every year, attracting a large number of visitors and it was recognized as a National Intangible Cultural Heritage in 2015.