BICH CAU TAOIST TEMPLE

Bich Cau Dao Quan (Bich Cau Taoist Temple) is located at 14, Cat Linh Street, Cat Linh Ward, Dong Da District, Hanoi City. Formerly, it was An Trach village, Vinh Thuan district, Phung Thien district. The relic is called by many different names such as Bich Cau communal house (named after Bich Cau village), Tu Uyen communal house (the character who is worshiped in the communal house). However, the name Bich Cau Dao Quan has been familiar to Hanoi people for many generations.

Bich Cau Dao Quan was built in Le Thanh Tong period (15th century), where the hermits came to practice immortality and worship the Gods. In the XVII century, the Taoism recessed, most of the Taoist Temple gradually became buddhist temples and pagodas. Bich Cau Taoist Temple also has a temple and a shrine to worship the Mother.

The worshiped character in Bich Cau Temple is Male Fairy Tran Tu Uyen. According to Doan Thi Diem's "Bich Cau miraculous story", in the reign of King Le Thanh Tong (1442-1479), there was a poor man named Tran Tu Uyen who could only build a tent by the water in Bich Cau ward. One day, he went to see the festival at Ngoc Ho pagoda (i.e. Ba Ngo pagoda, now in Van Mieu ward), he met the fairy named Giang Kieu, the two fell in love with each other, but one is just a human, one is from the heaven, they could not be together. To be close to her lover, Giang Kieu casted a magic to hide in a painting and then formed a mortal to love with Tu Uyen. They gave birth to a son named Chau Nhi. Later, Tu Uyen became an immoral alcoholic, dropped out of school. Unable to give him advice, Giang Kieu angrily left for heaven. Tu Uyen lived alone, sadly, trying to commit suicide, then Giang Kieu appeared to encourage her husband to focus on studying medicine to save people. Tu Uyen listened to his wife, succeeded in studying and curing people around the region. After a while, both of them flew on the flaming crane to heaven, into a fairy-tale place.

Later, Siamese invaders came to invade our country. King Le Thanh Tong heard that Bich Cau pagoda was very sacred so he came to hold a ceremony to ask for blessings to the country. That night, someone warned the king that there was no need to send troops to fight the enemy, he would help. In the morning, King Le told hundreds of officials and not sending troops.

A few days later, the king was informed that the Siamese army had withdrawn because when the enemy General came to the beginning of the territory, he had a severe cold. At the time of emergency, Tu Uyen appeared to give him some pills and he was immediately cured. Thanks to that life-saving grace, the general stood up to give thanksgiving to the Lord and withdrew his troops.

In the past, Bich Cau communal temple was still managed by the people of An Trach village, worshiping Male fairy Tran Tu Uyen as the village tutelary god. After years of war and chaos, Bich Cau Taoist Temple was ruined. During the reign of King Gia Long, the governor of Bac Thanh was Le Chat, paid for repairs with his own fortune. During the national resistance war, Bich Cau Temple was the headquarters of the Hang Bot Resistance Committee. Later, the temple was burned by French troops. In 1953, the people restored the temple.

In addition to the worship of Male fairy Tran Tu Uyen, Bich Cau Taoist Temple is also a gathering place for the benefactors, guests come to ask for letters, songs, gifts, presents, poems, and prescription. The mandarins, confucianists and writers at Temple of Literature - Quoc Tu Giam also often visit the temple, making this place a gathering place for literary talents in the country.

Bich Cau Taoist Temple is still on the old Quy Doi mound, lying facing south (that is, overlooking Cat Linh street). The current architectural works of the monument include: Nghi Mon, Tien Te, Hau Cung, Mother Goddess House, and guest house.

Nghi Mon of Bich Cau Temple is built with stucco, the architecture style is quite beautiful and unique, including 4 pillars with square cross-section, the tops of the pillars are decorated with stylized scythe, the lanterns has four holy animals and four precious patterns. Above the gate are Chinese characters called "Bich Cau Dao Quan", only one door is opened in the front, and two side doors are built with mezzanine walls adorned with cultural decorations.

Walking pass Nghi Mon is a large yard, in the middle of which there is a circular water tank, on which erected rockery to block the wind, is also adding beauty to the monument. To step onto the yard of the house, you have to go through 3 steps of brick bundles, the two sides have two high pillars, the top of the pillar shaped like lotus buds, the body of the pillars covered with parallel sentences in Chinese.

The main architecture of Bich Cau Taoist Temple is made in the form of the word "Dinh" in the form of "Tien Dao Hau Doc", including Tien Te and Hau Cung. Tien Te building consists of 3 compartments with 2 wings, in the form of a stacking with 2 floors of 8 roofs with 8 softly curved blades, sharp roof tiles (the roof tiles with the shape of the toe of an old boat-like shoe). The top of the roof exposed to the sun, the two heads of the Markara-shaped roof flanking the middle of the roof, dividing between the upper roof and the lower roof are the large picture that wrote in Chinese: "Than kinh tai hoi" means the gods of the capital is all gathered here. Although the architecture of Bich Cau has been changed and repaired many times, it still has the characteristics of traditional architecture.

Hau Cung is a longitudinal house consisting of 3, built in the style of gutter wall, sharp roof tiles, the frame consists of 3 sets because of the structure of trusses and bridge columns. The mansion built a high pedestal and placed a wooden worship inside with 3 statues of Tu Uyen (the male fairy), Giang Kieu (the female fairy) and Chau Nhi (the young fairy). Tu Uyen statue sculpted a Taoist with white hair, a bun with a long beard, he wore a yellow robe, sitting on a 2-steps pedestal, his legs wore boots, his hands were on his knees, his face was gentle, poise. Sitting on the right is Giang Kieu statue, wore a yellow shirt, a hat in brooch and on the left is a young Fairy in the shape of a small child. All three statues are quite beautiful, harmonious, balanced.

To the right of Bich Cau Temple are Nha Mau (the house for the worship of Mother Goddess) and Guest House newly renovated in 2011-2012. The Mother Goddess House has a "Dinh" structure consisting of Tien Te with 3 compartments and 2 wings, 4 curved roofs, Hau Cung with 2 compartments. Inside, the system of Mother Goddess statue is also decorated with many horizontal lacquered boards, parallel sentences, hammock doors, incense court painted with magnificent gold.

The Guest House is located on the right of the temple, built of bricks with 3 compartments, gables wall in traditional style. This is the place that Thang Long – Hanoi Ca Tru guild performs weekly.

Bich Cau Dao Quan also preserves a number of relics reflecting the religious content, including: 3 statues of Taoism (including Male Fairy, Female Fairy and Young Fairy), incense court, horizontal lacquered boards, hammock doors, parallel sentences, wooden board, cranes worship, ambush... are beautifully carved, elaborated to make the monument become sacred and mysterious...

Every year, people celebrate the festival on the 4th of the 2nd lunar month commemorating the enlightenment day of the Male Fairy; the 3rd of June commemorates the day when the Great Human flew back to heaven; August 12, the birthday of the Male Fairy, is also the main festival of the temple. During the main festival, there are programs to chant Buddhist prayers, holy prayers, and sacrifices. In particular, after the ceremony was a musical show performing Ca tru and the scene of the Male Fairy studied, made medicine to save people and then met the Female Fairy. In the afternoon, villagers and visitors from all over the country offer incense ceremony.

Bich Cau Taoist Temple is a typical monument that proves that the Taoism has existed in the life of Thang Long people and is also an address attracts many tourists. Bich Cau Temple is associated with a strange relationship between Giang Kieu fairy and Tu Uyen in the human world, represents the dream of humans and fairies' harmony. This place is considered as the beginning of Taoism in Vietnam. With the value of the monument, on March 2, 1990, Bich Cau Dao Quan was classified as a national monument./.