Đền vua Lê Đại Hành

The Lê Đại Hành Temple is a historical and cultural monument located within the special national relic complex of the ancient capital of Hoa Lư, Ninh Bình Province. The temple is dedicated to King Lê Đại Hành, Empress Dowager Dương Vân Nga, and Lê Long Đĩnh; in addition, there are ancestral tablets for Princess Lê Thị Phất Ngân and General Phạm Cự Lượng. The temple is situated 300 metres from the Đinh Tiên Hoàng Temple, within the eastern citadel of the former Hoa Lư capital, now the ancient village of Trường Yên, Tây Hoa Lư ward, Ninh Bình.

The Lê King’s Temple is smaller in scale than the Đinh King’s Temple, thus the space inside the temple feels quite intimate and mystical.

The temple is built in the 'nội công ngoại quốc' style (an architectural layout with an inner I-shaped structure and an outer U-shaped structure), but on a smaller scale than the Đinh King’s Temple. In front of the temple is the central square of the ancient Hoa Lư capital and Đèn Mountain, located beside the Sào Khê River; behind the temple is a moat protecting the ancient capital, running at the foot of Đìa Mountain.

Passing through the outer Nghi môn (outer gate) along the main brick-paved path, on the left is a large rockery, 3 metres high, shaped like a dancing phoenix with its beak facing the temple and wings as if in flight. On the right is the Tiền bái hall (front ceremonial hall), in front of which is the 'Hổ phục' rockery ('Crouching Tiger'), consisting of a large-stemmed duối tree with nine peaks, over 300 years old. To the left of the Tiền bái hall is a rockery shaped like a 'kneeling elephant', carved with the two Han characters 'Bất di' (Unmoving).

Along the main path to the right is also a large pond. Passing through the inner Nghi môn (inner gate), also with three bays, symmetrically arranged along the main axis are two flower gardens, followed by two rows of vọng houses (side halls). In the middle of the right flower garden are two 'Phượng ấp' rockeries ('Phoenix Nesting'), and on the left is the 'Long Mã' rockery ('Dragon Horse'). In the dragon courtyard near the central bay of the Bái đường (worship hall) is a stone dragon throne.

The temple consists of three buildings: the outer building is the Bái đường, the middle building is the Thiêu hương hall, dedicated to Phạm Cự Lượng, who rendered great service to King Lê Đại Hành. The central bay of the main sanctuary enshrines Lê Hoàn, seated facing forward; on the right is Lê Long Đĩnh facing north, and on the left is Empress Dương Vân Nga facing south towards the Đinh King’s Temple. According to popular tradition, although she married King Lê Đại Hành, she still faced her former husband, King Đinh Tiên Hoàng. The left bay of the main sanctuary is dedicated to Princess Lê Thị Phất Ngân, daughter of King Lê and Dương Vân Nga, and also wife of Lý Thái Tổ, ancestress of subsequent Lý dynasty kings. Empress Lê Thị Phất Ngân gave birth to King Lý Thái Tông in the year 1000. After the Lý dynasty moved the capital to Thăng Long, she often returned to Duyên Ninh Pagoda to visit her father King Lê Đại Hành’s tomb and to help many couples find love.

A unique feature of the Lê Đại Hành Temple is the 17th-century woodcarving art, which had reached a high level of skill and sophistication. According to legend, Lê Hoàn’s mother dreamt of a lotus flower before giving birth to him while transplanting rice near a lotus pond. She wrapped Lê Hoàn in a bamboo grove, where he was nurtured by the lord of the forest tigers. After her prayers, the tiger left. When he grew up, Lê Hoàn achieved great feats: 'Defeating the Song, pacifying the Chiêm.' Therefore, the folk woodcarving art of the artisans here is consistent with the legend, focusing on themes praising Lê Hoàn.

The Lê Đại Hành Temple is built on the old foundation of a palace from the ancient Hoa Lư capital, with basic architecture in the late 17th-century style, and underwent major renovations during the Nguyễn dynasty—especially the addition of the outer half. In the temple’s forbidden precinct are three statues: Emperor Lê Đại Hành in the central bay seated on a throne, Empress Dương Vân Nga in the left bay, and King Lê Long Đĩnh in the right bay. According to the ancients, Dương Vân Nga was the king’s right hand, contributing to his accession to the throne, but as her heart still turned towards her former husband Đinh Tiên Hoàng, her statue was placed on the left side. The two statues in the side bays are turned sideways to face the central bay, creating a focus that enhances the solemnity of the main figure, Lê Đại Hành.

At first glance, all three statues bear the characteristics of the Nguyễn dynasty due to the new lacquer and the familiar decorative motifs of dragons, clouds, flowers, and leaves—both typical of the Nguyễn period and made using the bending-and-pasting technique. On closer inspection, however, there are features from the late 17th to early 18th centuries: the chrysanthemum on Dương Vân Nga’s headdress is brilliant yet neat, the shoes of the statues are carved in large blocks with simple dragon heads. Overall, these three statues also have unique features inherited from the Mạc dynasty statues, which then developed into the early 17th century. Thus, these three statues embody three overlapping cultural layers, with later renovations adding further layers on top.

The general posture of all three statues is a slightly forward-leaning seated position, with the upper legs and thighs too short as if carved from a single block of wood with limited thickness, reminiscent of stone statues and especially high-relief stone carvings from the Mạc period, making the seated figures appear somewhat compressed. The lower arms are also shortened so that the hands rest flat on the thighs. The statue of Emperor Lê Đại Hành wears a 'bình thiên' crown, to which later additions were made, but the front still features a prominent 'Vương' (King) character, similar to the crowns of Mạc dynasty kings. The hair of Lê Đại Hành and Lê Long Đĩnh is cut short to the nape, not forming a triangular mass down to the pedestal as in Nguyễn dynasty statues, while Dương Vân Nga’s hair is braided into a strand running behind the ear down to the shoulder, then divided, with one part in front and one behind, similar to Guanyin statues of the Mạc period and anticipating mid-17th-century statues. Particularly interesting is that the Lê Ngọa Triều statue’s back flap is not covered by new decorative lacquer, so the simple dragon motif in the square panel is still very clear, closely resembling the dragon images on the two Hoằng Định steles mentioned above. These statues all sit confidently, solemnly yet comfortably, with well-proportioned bodies, foreshadowing the statues of the mid-17th century. Emperor Lê Đại Hành’s face is full, bright, and dignified. Dương Vân Nga’s face appears gentle and bears distinctive portrait features, with a full, benevolent moon-shaped face. These are beautiful statues that inaugurate the series of portrait statues of the Later Lê Restoration period.

In 2014, researchers recorded 47 places of worship for Lê Đại Hành in Vietnam (including 16 dedicated solely to him, 5 jointly worshipping the King with Lady Đô Hồ, 3 jointly worshipping with Empress Dowager Dương Vân Nga, and 23 with other deities).

Ninh Bình is the province with the most sites dedicated to Lê Hoàn, with 13 places of worship located in the southern half of the province, while the temples of King Đinh Tiên Hoàng are in the northern half. Ninh Bình was the capital region during Lê Hoàn’s reign, and the temples are concentrated around the ancient Hoa Lư capital relic area, such as Yên Thành đình (communal house), Trung Trữ Temple in Ninh Giang ward, Tây Hoa Lư, and temples in the southern part of the province often associated with waterways the king travelled when campaigning against Champa, such as Đồng Bến Temple (Hoa Lư), Yên Lâm Temple (Lai Thành), Ngọc Lâm Temple in Yên Mạc commune, Từ Đường Temple and Quảng Công Temple in Đồng Thái commune, and Lê Đại Hành Temple in Yên Thắng ward... During the Hoa Lư ancient capital festival, these temples and other relics dedicated to figures of the Early Lê period in the area all participate in the palanquin procession and incense offering, bringing the spirits of the honoured figures to the Lê Đại Hành Temple to join the festival.