Unique 500-year-old stone stele crying for sister in Kim Thanh

Kim Loc Temple (also known as Tru Temple) and Kim Loc Pagoda (also known as Kim Loc Tu) in Phu Thai town (Kim Thanh) were recognized as provincial historical relics on January 25, 2014.

The relic cluster covers an area of ​​more than 1,203.7 m². Kim Loc Temple worships the village's tutelary god Pham Canh Luong, second class doctor in the Binh Thin exam, 27th year of Hong Duc era (1469), who helped King Le Thanh Tong defeat the Champa army in Quang Nam, was awarded the title Thieu Bao Lien Khe Hau and Mrs. Pham Thi Quy (Quynh Phuong Tien Phi princess), sister of doctor Pham Canh Luong. In addition, Kim Loc Temple also has an altar to worship the Mother Goddess.

Kim Loc Pagoda is a place of worship for Mahayana Buddhism, a popular Zen sect in pagodas in Northern Vietnam.

In particular, this relic cluster is preserving a box-shaped stone stele compiled by Dr. Pham Canh Luong himself, placed at the tomb of his sister, Princess Quynh Phuong Tien Phi Pham Thi Quy, also known as Ba Chua. She was the one who raised and had a great influence on Dr. Pham Canh Luong's personality and character.

The stele consists of two panels with overlapping edges. Panel No. 1 is 59.5 cm high, 42 cm wide, 7 cm thick, upright and flat, with high, smooth walls without patterns, and a trough-shaped depression in the bottom of the stele, not polished.

In the middle is engraved a line of Chinese characters, the content is: "Hoang Viet Kinh Bac Thua Ty lai the Pham thi chi mo" meaning "Tomb of Mrs. Pham, wife of the Kinh Bac Thua Ty official of Hoang Viet era".

The second stele is 59 cm high, 42.5 cm wide, with a raised base and a depth of 2 cm around the edges. The inscription on the stele reads: "Tien Kinh Bac Thua Ty Lai Lien Ho Tien Sinh Le Thi The Mo Chi", meaning "Tombstone of the wife of Quan Thua Ty Lai Kinh Bac Lien Ho Tien Sinh Le Thi The".

The stele, engraved in 1502, has about 700 Chinese characters. The content of the stele talks about the background, life, career, and praises the virtues and qualities of Mrs. Pham Thi Quy from her childhood until her marriage and death.

Through the text, we can also see the lament of Dr. Pham Canh Luong for his sister, seeing the typical qualities and virtues of ancient Vietnamese women "virtue, beauty, speech, and conduct".

In it, there is a passage, translated by historical researcher Tang Ba Hoanh: “It is truly touching that from the time of birth until death, she taught me so much, leaving behind a full measure of filial piety to her parents and repaying them according to her duty. Alas! How sad and heartbreaking. I wonder if heaven would be so cruel as to take her away? Please be patient and pass by here. I write in stone to record to heaven the things I miss forever, and those who are not educated will not be able to understand these words.”

Mrs. Pham Thi Quy raised, encouraged and motivated Dr. Pham Canh Luong to study. Later, he achieved high results and had many achievements. The text of the stele is simple but full of humanity, expressing the infinite regret and gratitude of a younger sister towards her older sister.

His tears for his sister were also a reminder to himself to live a good life, to be worthy of his family and his sister who loved him with all her heart and soul.

The content is about Mrs. Pham Thi Quy, but reading it, we can see the person, career, personality, and virtue of Dr. Pham Canh Luong. The teachings of his sister to him advised him to be careful and diligent in studying. When becoming an official, do not be greedy; in daily life, do not be arrogant, scold, or harm others...

The stele is one of the rare types of inscriptions from the Le Dynasty that still exist today, and has high value in terms of age, historical and cultural documents. Through these two stone steles, the history of the character worshiped at the Kim Loc temple and pagoda relic is clarified. The person and personality of the worshiped character are further affirmed.

The words of advice, counsel, and counsel that the older sister gave to Pham Canh Luong are still valuable when read and pondered today.