The Temple of the Lady of Sam mountain is both a place of pilgrimage, worship, and also a famous tourist destination not only in the country but also attracts many foreign tourists to visit.
Chau Doc is a western tourist land famous for its charming mountains and rivers, especially the Sam mountain area. Visitors coming here, looking down from the top of the mountain, will see the whole region as a unique water-based painting in the middle of the green plain, adorned with white clouds across the sky, a little look down is the intermingled green forest. interspersed with fields, gardens, rivers …
Lady Chua Xu Temple is located right at the foot of Sam mountain.
Sam Mountain 284m high, is home to many tourist attractions An Giang famous and sacred nationwide so visitors often find the pilgrims worship here. This place has Ba Chua Xu shrine, Thoai Ngoc Hau mausoleum, Tay An pagoda, Hang Chau Doc pagoda … all of the sights of An Giang region.
These places are not only famous tourist destinations but also religious works, dignified culture, sacred places with long-standing beliefs, but the most prominent is the Temple of the Lady. Sam Mountain Country .
Ba Chua Xu Temple is known as the largest temple in Vietnam.
Ba Chua Xu Temple is a beautiful and solemn religious building in the West. Ba Temple is located at the foot of Sam mountain, in Nui Sam ward (formerly in Vinh Te commune), Chau Doc town, An Giang province. Each year, this place attracts nearly 2 million people to worship and visit. Especially during the festive season, tourists from all over the country and abroad come to make pilgrimages and travel to create a vibrant atmosphere that lasts for many months. At this time, the Sam mountain area becomes very crowded and bustling.
Tourists check-in at Ba Chua Xu shrine.
It can be said that Ba Chua Xu Temple of Nui Sam is an important historical, architectural and spiritual relic of An Giang and the southwestern region.
Guide to the temple to Ba Chua Xu Temple
Ba Chua Xu Temple is located more than 200km from Ho Chi Minh City and about 36km from An Giang city center. To reach this famous tourist destination, visitors can refer to the following routes.
Scenery of Nui Sam, where Ba Temple is located, viewed from above.
– If departing from Ho Chi Minh City: First, you follow Phan Van Hon street to Dai Han Highway or National Highway 1A at Tan Thoi Nhat. Then, continue to follow the Ho Chi Minh City – Trung Luong / ĐCT01 Expressway and go to QL62 to provincial road 819 at Tan Lap. From here, you will continue to move along the provincial road 819 and will arrive on 3/2 street in Tan Hung town.
From here, you go along TL831 (Provincial Road 831 / DT831), DT842 and DT841 to reach Thuong Phuoc 2. Continue to move to the direction of Tan Chau Ferry of Tan Chau – Hong Ngu. After crossing the river, visitors just continue to go straight to the section where the My Nguyet restaurant is to turn right on Tran Hung Dao / DT954. Next, go straight DT953 to Chau Giang Ferry in Phu Hiep and then take the second ferry to reach Chau Thi Te / Tan Lo Kieu Luong Street at Sam Nui.
Overview of Ba Chua Xu Temple.
– If departing from An Giang city: The journey starts by driving to Vinh Thanh Trung and going along DT945 or QL91. When you arrive at Kinh 4 in Chau Phu B district, Chau Doc city, you continue to drive to Chau Thi Te / Tan Lo Kieu Luong street at Nui Sam to start the pilgrimage to Mieu Ba Temple.
The time of pilgrimage to Ba Chua Xu Temple in Sam mountain
The peak tourist season in Sam mountain area in general and Ba Chua Xu shrine falls in January to April and June of the lunar calendar. This is the time when tourists have high demand for pilgrimage to Chau Doc. Therefore, you should choose a reasonable time to come to Chau Doc to avoid crowded, crowded, pushing or prolonged traffic jam. At the same time, be careful with your belongings and belongings to avoid pickpockets and fraud.
Vía Ba Festival and Sam mountain relic always attract many people.
If you do not like the crowded scenery, you can choose the time of the pilgrimage to Ba pagoda in the early days of the week or in the middle of the week. At this time, the fare of the bus or other means of transportation is “softer” than usual. The temple grounds are also less crowded than festivals and Tet.
The Ba Chua Xu festival officially takes place from April 24 to 27 of the lunar calendar.
Legend of the origin of Ba Chua Xu temple in Sam mountain
According to legend, people in Chau Doc discovered the statue of Ba on the top of Sam mountain about 200 years ago. Everyone wants to bring the statue down the mountain to worship. However, a strange phenomenon happened when dozens of powerful young people in the area came to carry Ba’s statue but failed.
Only after she appeared “Miss Dong” and said that it only takes 9 virgin girls to lift and carry it. But more strange is that when the statue reached the foot of the mountain, suddenly, it was so heavy that people could no longer go. People in the area thought that she chose this place to settle, so a shrine was built to worship that location.
Lady Chua Xu Temple is a beautiful and dignified architectural work.
Close-up of Ba Chua Xu shrine.
Also according to many local people, there is another story related to this sacred temple. Legend associated with the merits of Mr. Thoai Ngoc Hau. The story tells that when he went to eliminate foreign invaders in the western border, Mrs. Chau Thi Te, his wife, prayed to Mrs. Chua Xu to help the soldiers pacify the enemy and keep the village peaceful. After winning the enemy back, Thoai Ngoc Hau invited her from the top of Sam mountain to build a spacious temple at the foot of the mountain to give thanks, and at the same time chose the 24.4 day of the annual lunar calendar as the day of worship.
Her temple is sparkling at night.
Beautiful architecture of Ba Chua Xu Temple of Sam mountain
At first, the temple of Ba Chua Xu of Sam mountain was built simply of bamboo and lies facing the northwest, its back leaning against the cliff side, the main area overlooking the road and the village ahead. After that, the Ba Temple was built in 1870 by the people of the lake.
Tam Quan Gate of famous spiritual work.
Until the present period, the temple was restored and rebuilt in a period of 4 years from 1972 to 1976 by two famous architects, Huynh Kim Mang and Nguyen Ba Lang.
Temple of the Ba has a national layout and has three floors.
In general, the temple has a Quoc (国) typeface layout – with the shape like a lotus sitting in the middle of Sam mountain.
From a distance, the temple is like a majestic green lotus sitting on high.
The roof of the temple of Ba Chua Xu Nui Sam is built in a three-storey three-storey way. Tourists visiting An Giang and visiting Ba Temple are always impressed with the soaring roof corners like the bow of a surfing boat.
The roof is roofed with green roof tiles.
The patterns in the old hall of the main hall show bold art.
The roof angle of the temple is built in a soaring direction like a surfing boat.
Moreover, the patterns in the old hall of the main hall also show bold Indian art, enhance the beauty of the project. In addition, there are other decorative details such as healthy and beautiful idols who raise their arms to support the trusses above.
The frame and the door are beautifully carved and sculptured. Besides, there are many contradictions, diaphragms that show splendid golden features. The work still retains four old pillars upstairs in front of the main hall, located behind the Ba statue, almost unchanged.
Temple of the Lady Chua Xu Chau Doc An Giang has a beautiful architecture.
The architectural complex of Ba Temple includes the main hall (where the Ba statue is worshiped), the martial arts, the living room and the precious Ban room.
The main hall consists of two main classes. In it, the innermost layer is the place to worship Ba Chua Xu with a stone statue of her on a high pedestal, on the two sides are two white cranes symbolizing the essence of her holy way. In particular, on the right of the statue of Ba, there is a stone linga placed on a shrine, called the altar of the folk. On the left side of the statue is the incense shrine to worship a wooden statue with yoni image, called the Co altar.
The majestic and graceful statue in the main hall
The second layer of the main hall is the Council altar, located next to the two worshiping birds. On the left and right sides of the Council’s altar are the altars of the openly Sage and the altar of the open Hau Hien.
According to a French archaeologist, the statue of Ba Chua Xu An Giang was carved at the end of the 6th century, belongs to the type of statue Vishnu (the male god) carved in the shape of a thinking person, very noble, made of Sonstone has high artistic value. The study also claims that this is one of the ancient artifacts of Oc Eo culture.
Temple of the Lady of the Sam mountain is famous throughout the region not only because of its spirituality but also by great historical significance.
According to the An Giang Book of Records, the Ba statue is “the oldest sandstone statue in Vietnam”, and “has the most worshiping clothes” in our country.
Temple Festival Ba Chua Xu Nui Sam
The festival “Ba Chua Xu Xu Nui Sam” takes place from 23 to 27 to 04 of the lunar calendar every year. At the time of the festival, tens of thousands of people flocked to attend the ceremony and participate in the festival’s fun such as singing, martial dance, five-tone music, lion dance, chess, …
From April to June, the Lunar New Year is the time when tourists come to the most.
The ceremony has the following main rituals:
– The “Bathing Ba” ceremony (like the carpentry ceremony in the North): The “bathing Ba” ceremony is held at 0 o’clock on the 24th of April of the 4th lunar year, which is carefully prepared, meticulously and conducted in the air. dignified gas. After the Grandma Bathing Ceremony ends …, the rest of the bath water for her will be mixed in 2 large water tanks and distributed to the festival visitors.
– Ceremony of Sacrifice: If the ceremony of “bathing Ba” is held on the 24th, the ceremony of Thu Sac is celebrated at about 4:00 pm on the 25th.
– The Closing Ceremony: held at 0 o’clock at night, 25 to 26 of the 4th lunar month. This ceremony consists of two main parts, the ritual of worshiping and the building of worship. The offerings at the ceremony include: a white pig, a plate of pig’s blood accompanied by small feathers. In addition, there is a tray of fruit, betel and areca, rice, and salt.
– The Sacrifice of the Priesthood: held at dawn of the morning of the 27th, the Chief Sacrifice is almost the same as the Sacrifice ritual.
– Reverend Ceremony: This last part will be celebrated at around 3pm on April 27. This is the time when the group welcomes the Thoai Ngoc Hau and the second lady from the temple back to Son Lang. Here is the end of the Ba Chua Xu festival of Sam mountain.
Ba Chua Xu Temple in the festive season.
Today, visitors come to Ba Chua Xu Temple to ask for fortune from her, pray for money, peace and admire the unique spiritual architecture, hiding the legendary stories and legends of An Giang land. .
Pray for fortune and luck at the sacred Ba shrine.
Along with Van Linh Pagoda, Kim Tien Pagoda and Truc Lam An Giang Zen Monastery , Ba Chua Xu Temple is the most famous pilgrimage and worship place of this southwestern love. Young people, couples come here to visit, make love and old people come here to pray for peace and health.
Peaceful scene of An Giang’s most famous spiritual work.
Many young people come here to pray for peace and love.
Note when visiting, pilgrimage at Ba Chua Xu Temple
The fourth lunar month is the peak tourist season in Sam mountain in general and Ba Chua Xu Chau Doc shrine in particular. This is also a common time for fraud or pickpocketing, so be careful when traveling at this time.
Another note is that you should buy gifts or roast pigs at home for more convenience, do not buy or rent roasted pigs at the shrine because it will be very crowded and have to wait a long time.
It has a cultural, historical and religious mark typical of a large land.
Lady Chua Xu Temple is one of the most special and famous scenic spots of Sam mountain ranked by the state. It has a cultural, historical and religious mark typical of a large land. Currently, Ba Temple is the destination of tourists from all directions, the place where anyone who has the opportunity to travel to An Giang wants to come to pray for peace and wishes for the best for themselves and their families.
Whether you choose to tour An Giang or make a pilgrimage here yourself, do not forget to admire the beauty of the building in terms of architecture with beautiful decorative lines, learn about historical values and the culture of the sacred temple as well as feel the solemn, tranquil atmosphere of this place.
An Giang is also the land of many famous delicacies from Chau Doc market, Bay Nui region, Sam mountain, Sap mountain, so when you come here, do not miss the opportunity to enjoy, especially Chau Doc specialty sold. along the road and right at the temple like jaggery water, vegan rolls, jaggery beef cake …
Hurry to An Giang to make a pilgrimage to Ba Temple to pray for peace, fortune and fully feel the spiritual beauty and historical significance of this place.