An Sinh Temple - Temple of 8 kings of the Tran Dynasty
An Sinh temple is an important relic of the Tran dynasty relic in Dong Trieu. This is the worshiping and ritual place of Tran Kings and an important religious center under the dynasties of Tran, Le and Nguyen in the history of Vietnam.
Among the Tran dynasty relics in Dong Trieu (Quang Ninh), not far away from the town of Dong Trieu, An Sinh temple (previously known as An Sinh palace) is considered one of the most sacred religious building. It lies on a low hill of Trai Loc village, An Sinh commune, Dong Trieu district. In today’s Cultural Heritages, we will be visiting this sacred temple.
Dong Trieu is a land of heroes and talents, and just like the rest of the country, it has gone through a glorious history. Together with many fascinating festivals, the area is also the home of many historical sites that are important to Quang Ninh province in particular and the whole country in general. Among those is the ancient Ven village with the temple of the female general Le Chan who served under Hai Ba Trung reign. The historical sites of Yen Duc, Quynh Lam pagoda, Non Dong Pagoda, Ho Thien Pagoda and finally, Ngoa Van Pagoda, where Tran Nhan Tong, King and Founder of Truc Lam Yen Tu Zen Sect, passed away. Especially, Dong Trieu is considered the scared land of the Tran Dynasty, the most prosperous dynasty of the Vietnamese Feudalism. It is home to a system of worshipping temples and tombs of the Tran Kings who ruled the dynasty. The historical monuments and cultural heritages of the Tran Dynasty are found all over the country. However, they are mainly concentrated in Thang Long (Hanoi), Thien Truong (Nam Dinh) and Dong Trieu (Quang Ninh). In Dong Trieu, the historical monuments of the dynasty are concentrated in An Sinh commune.
There are 133 pagodas, temples and shrines in Dong Trieu, 26 of which are recognized as provincial or national heritages. Dong Trieu was one of the cultural centers of Dai Viet in XIII, XIV centuries. Archeologists and historians have proved that Dong Trieu was the sacred land of the Tran Dynasties, because 11 among 14 Kings of the Tran Dynasties chose Dong Trieu to place their tombs and temples. As of the Truc Lam School of Zen, Dong Trieu was the original center since the founder of this school. The King-Monk Tran Nhan Tong chose to live his last years in Ngoa Van pagoda, Tay Son, Binh Khe, Dong Trieu.