On our first full day in Hanoi, we went to visit the Temple of Literature, which was built in the year 1070CE.
Learning has been revered in Vietnam for centuries. The temple is dedicated to Confucius, sages and scholars, and hosts the Imperial Academy, Vietnam’s first university. Scholars were awarded the degree of Doctor upon completing their studies. In 1484, Emperor Le Thanh Tong erected 116 stelae of carved blue stone turtles to honor talent and encourage study. Turtles are one of the nation’s four holy creatures (others are Dragon, Unicorn, and Phoenix), and is a symbol of longevity and wisdom.
The stelae show the names and birth places of 1307 graduates between 1442 and 1779, and thus are a historical resource.
Over time, the style of the turtles changed, and some have different faces and feet. I was particularly taken with this one, who seems to have a satisfied smirk on his face.
Children come here each year to “raise the incense” to honor the ancestor who founded their school. There was quite a ceremony with gongs and chanting.
Although the practice has been discontinued, who knows? Maybe one day a stelae will be erected with the names of these children!
Behind the courtyard in which the children was found is a wonderful statue of Confucius.
The entrance to this temple is guarded by two dragons who are twining up an incense burner. They seem to be catching the smoke in their mouths.
We later were to see many Buddhist temples, but this is the only one we have visited that honors Confucius. Clearly, learning has been revered here for centuries.
Mary
Written on board the Tanle Pandaw on the MeKong River 1/22/18
Posted from Saigon (aka Ho Chi Minh City) 1/29/18 because wi-if on the river wouldn’t allow me to upload to the blog!
Mary's Travel Blog 