BA CHUA KHO (QUEEN OF STOCK) TEMPLE

Ba Chua Kho (Queen of Stock) Temple is located at No. 129, Giang Vo street, Cat Linh ward, Dong Da district, Hanoi City.

The temple is the place to worship Mrs. Ly Chau Nuong (i.e. Mrs. Ly Thi Chau), a female general who was in charge of the provisions stock of Tran Dynasty’s army and was normally called Queen of Stock.

According to the historical literatures, when she was small, Ly Chau Luong lived in Vo Trai ward (now Giang Vo ward), Quang Duc district, Phung Thien sub-province, Thang Long citadel. When she grew up, she went to school in the Bich Cau ward nearby. At the age of 22, she got married to Mr. Tran Thai Bao, a general who used to defend Hoan Chau (in Nghe An – Ha Tinh area now) and served as a mandarin in two reigns of kings Tran Thai Tong and Tran Nhan Tong.

As the General Manager of the National Treasury, Ly Chau Nuong made a great contribution to assure provisions and logistics for the army of the Tran Dynasty in the two victories against the Mongol – Yuan invaders in 1285 and 1287.

In 1285, the enemy’s general Sügetü brought an army to attack our country from the Champa with an aim to usurp Chau Hoan. Her husband failed to prevent the enemy and had to retreat the army to defend in the Dien Chau area (Nghe An) to consolidate the force. In the critical situation, Chau Nuong volunteered to lead the soldiers in protecting the provisions stock and performing logistics arrangement so that her husband could focus in fighting against the enemy. By the end of May 1285, the Tran Dynasty drove the Yuan enemy off the country; the couple were recalled to the capital. Her husband was assigned to manage the capital army, and she was assigned to manage the Phung Thien sub-province stock.

In the end of 1287, the Yuan army attacked Dai Viet one more time in three directions. Tran Thai Bao heroically died in the battle while he was trying to prevent the enemy so that the King could retreat safely. Hearing about her husband’s death and the capital’s predictable fall, Ly Chau Nuong still kept her calm leading the soldiers to move and conceal all the provisions and weapons, and then sacrificed her life following her husband.

To commemorate the merits of Ly Chau Nuong, King Tran bestowed her with the title Good Genius of Vo Trai ward and commanded to build the temple right on the former provision stocks for the people to worshipping eternally.

Queen of Stock Temple now has a humble scale, having 2 compartments with close walls at the sides and roof covered with traditional tiles. The frame system was designed in traditional way. The temple now preserves various vestiges such as: horizontal lacquered board, door paintings in fresco, parallel sentences, incense-table, statue, throne, crane statue, and worshiping objects for religious activities in the temple.

Queen of Stock temple, together with Giang Vo communal house in Giang Vo ward, are now the place to honour and commemorate the female hero who made great contribution to the glorious victory of the Tran Dynasty’s army and people against the Mongol-Yuan enemy in the 13th Century in Thang Long – Hanoi, that is Mrs. Ly Chau Nuong who are often called by the people with a simple and respectful name as the Queen of Stock.