What was excavated in Thanh Mai pagoda area?

The excavation site has provided a highly convincing source of material for the heritage record.

To complete the dossier submitted to UNESCO for recognition of the Yen Tu - Vinh Nghiem - Con Son - Kiep Bac relic and landscape complex as a world cultural heritage, the Vietnam Archaeological Association has coordinated to excavate the Thanh Mai 2 pagoda site, discovering many ancient structures, enriching the value of the heritage.

Determine the overall scale

The excavation was conducted on the slope of Thanh Mai mountain, Hoang Hoa Tham commune (Chi Linh city), with a total area of ​​400 m2, determining the overall scale of the Thanh Mai 2 pagoda ground (to distinguish it from the current Thanh Mai pagoda).

Archaeologists have determined that the pagoda has a structure based on the mountainside at the stone embankment levels gradually increasing from bottom to top with a total area of ​​about 2,100 m2, surrounded by a Nguyen Dynasty wall measuring 27 m x 35 m. The remaining wall is 0.35 m - 0.4 m high, 0.66 m - 0.75 m wide.

On the foundation levels, archaeologists have identified 3 layers of temple architecture stacked on top of each other. That is the Tran Dynasty architectural layer (14th century), built with small stone materials, processed in a vertical arrangement close to the original stone foundation, initially seen to have 3 branches from 0.8 m - 0.9 m wide. Scientists believe that this could be a type of large, solid architectural foundation. The second layer has the architecture of the Le Trung Hung Dynasty (17th - 18th century), rectangular, 73 m2 wide, including a clay floor, square brick floor, foundation, column foundation, and stone column base. The architectural foundation is all built with stone measuring 55 cm x 25 cm x 13 cm, processed squarely. Finally, the Nguyen Dynasty architecture (19th - 20th century), shaped like the letter "T", includes a rectangular front hall, the house walls are a combination of stone stacking techniques and earthen walls combined with stone blocks; the upper hall is 40 m2 wide...

During this excavation, archaeologists found nearly 1,000 relics dating from the Tran to Nguyen dynasties, including bricks, tiles, decorative materials, glazed ceramics; and earthenware pottery demonstrating techniques, architectural forms, and spiritual practices.

Thanh Mai Pagoda was built in the 14th century, located on the slopes of Thanh Mai Mountain, also known as Tam Ban Mountain (3 connected mountain levels of Hai Duong, Bac Giang, Quang Ninh provinces, belonging to the Northeast arc). The location of the pagoda is on the second level of the mountain range, the flattest land, with an altitude of more than 200m above sea level.

After years of destruction and war, Thanh Mai Pagoda now only has the "Vien Thong Thanh Mai Tu" stele, recording the life and achievements of Zen Master Phap Loa and some steles recording the restoration of the pagoda during the Vinh Thinh and Chinh Hoa dynasties. Accordingly, Thanh Mai Pagoda is a large place of worship, along with Con Son and Yen Tu, the center of the Truc Lam Zen sect that flourished during the Tran Dynasty.

Some artifacts excavated at Thanh Mai 2 Pagoda. Photo: Duy Manh

Great contribution to the value of the monument

The overall architectural remains at Thanh Mai 2 Pagoda site are of great value in the study of history and national culture and bring new insights into the construction of world heritage profiles.

According to the assessment of the Vietnam Archaeological Association, the architectural remains of Thanh Mai 2 Pagoda provide a completely new source of information compared to the remains previously seen in the area of ​​Thanh Mai 1 Pagoda (the current pagoda).

The remaining vestiges show that there are 3 layers of architecture from the 3 dynasties Tran - Le Trung Hung - Nguyen stacked on top of each other, reflecting the importance of Thanh Mai 2 Pagoda, which has existed continuously and for a long time throughout the 700-year history of Thanh Mai Pagoda. This is very rare in the overall relics currently found in the Yen Tu area of ​​all 3 provinces.

The discovery of the original architectural vestiges of the Tran Dynasty here corresponds to the records of ancient Vietnamese documents about the Second Patriarch Phap Loa developing Thanh Mai Pagoda in the years 1329 - 1330. The Third Patriarch Huyen Quang presided over the pagoda for 6 years before returning to Con Son in 1330. This is the first time archaeology has discovered the architectural vestiges of the Tran Dynasty still on the ground, consistent with the time of Patriarchs Phap Loa and Huyen Quang. This has not been found in all other relics in the Yen Tu Complex of Monuments and Landscapes.

Thanh Mai Pagoda is a large place of worship, along with Con Son and Yen Tu, it became the center of the Truc Lam Zen sect that flourished during the Tran Dynasty.

From Thanh Mai 2, following the people's instructions, archaeologists of the Vietnam Archaeological Association and the Con Son - Kiep Bac Relic Management Board discovered Thanh Mai 3 and Thanh Mai 4 sites to the north leading to the top of Yen Tu mountain. These sites allow us to initially guess that this is also the main direction from Thanh Mai pagoda area to the central peak of Yen Tu. This is a completely new perception of Vietnamese archaeologists towards the Yen Tu relic complex before the excavation of Thanh Mai 2 pagoda site.

New discoveries and new understanding of Thanh Mai Pagoda allow us to better determine the overall value of the Con Son - Kiep Bac - Thanh Mai relic site. That is, the Tran Dynasty and the Truc Lam Patriarchs transformed the entire Con Son - Kiep Bac - Thanh Mai area into a large Truc Lam Buddhist center equivalent to the Yen Tu, Dong Trieu, Tay Yen Tu areas, the largest Dai Viet spiritual and cultural center in the country on an extremely large, rich, and diverse site with pagodas - temples - shrines...

TIEN HUY