24/01/2010
The body of King Le Du Tong (1680-1731), the only remains that have been found of a Vietnamese King, will be reburied on Monday in Bai Trach Village, Xuan Quang Commune in the central province of Thanh Hoa, the place where they were accidentally discovered 52 years ago.
The remains, which has been preserved in the Viet Nam History Museum since they were unearthed, will be wrapped in new shrouds and royal robes imitating the original ones. A new coffin has also been made of Ngoc Am wood, the same material and the same size as the original, which was damaged at the excavation and has been ruined over time.
According to deputy culture minister Tran Chien Thang, the King’s remains will be put into the coffin in a solemn ceremony at 1am on Monday morning with representatives from the Central Buddhist Association as witnesses.
Artisans have been hired from Hue to remake all the personal items such as shrouds and royal robes for the body, to mimic how it was originally found.
The new mausoleum has been built by hand in the traditional style. The outer coffin will been constructed using a mixture of half-baked bricks, straw and molasses, and many other anti-moisture materials such as charcoal, roasted rice and dried tea.
A new road leading to the mausoleum has been completed. A commemorative complex will be built at the mausoleum in a total area of 5,000sq.m. King Le Du Tong was given the name Le Duy Duong and was the 22nd king of the Le dynasty ruling from 1705 to 1729. The Le dynasty, which ruled from 1428 to 1789, is famous for its founder, King Le Thai To, who liberated the country from Chinese Ming invaders.
When he came to the throne, he reduced and eliminated a number of taxes. At the time of his reign, the power of the Le dynasty was beginning to degrade. The Trinh Lords (1545-1787) held the real power over the court and the country. Lord Trinh Cuong (1709-1729) ruled at the same time as King Le Du Tong.
The country remained peaceful at this time, according to ancient historical documents, such as Kham Dinh Viet Su Thong Giam Muc (a history book with many chapters about the full history of Viet Nam, compiled by Nguyen dynasty historians, with the approval from the King).
"The dynasty did many things for the country and laws were strictly implemented. The king did not have to work hard, but his domain was kept in order thanks to important contributions made by Lord Trinh Cuong," the book wrote.
In 1729, the King abdicated the throne to his son Le Duy Phuong. Two years later, Le Du Tong died at the age of 52.
Found by farmers
The King’s remains were found in February 1958 by farmers in Bai Trach Village of Tho Xuan District, in the central province of Thanh Hoa while they were digging in a field. The outer coffin was discovered first and when they broke a corner they saw a red lacquer inner coffin trimmed with gold.
The coffin was then excavated in 1964 and brought to the Viet Nam History Museum.
When it was opened, the coffin had two bottoms, with a 10cm layer of roasted rice between them. The body was wrapped in many layers of clothes and shrouds, including eight large shrouds made of brocade, measuring 1.5m by 5m each; a small shroud made of two layers of brocade; a large royal robe with an embroidered dragon on the front and many other smaller dragons on the back and on both sleeves; two inner royal mantles; and three pairs of silk trousers.
The king’s face was covered with a shroud that has an image of a dragon in the centre.
They were the first specimens of clothing the museum ever had of Le dynasty costumes.
The remains, which has been preserved in the Viet Nam History Museum since they were unearthed, will be wrapped in new shrouds and royal robes imitating the original ones. A new coffin has also been made of Ngoc Am wood, the same material and the same size as the original, which was damaged at the excavation and has been ruined over time.
According to deputy culture minister Tran Chien Thang, the King’s remains will be put into the coffin in a solemn ceremony at 1am on Monday morning with representatives from the Central Buddhist Association as witnesses.
Artisans have been hired from Hue to remake all the personal items such as shrouds and royal robes for the body, to mimic how it was originally found.
The new mausoleum has been built by hand in the traditional style. The outer coffin will been constructed using a mixture of half-baked bricks, straw and molasses, and many other anti-moisture materials such as charcoal, roasted rice and dried tea.
A new road leading to the mausoleum has been completed. A commemorative complex will be built at the mausoleum in a total area of 5,000sq.m. King Le Du Tong was given the name Le Duy Duong and was the 22nd king of the Le dynasty ruling from 1705 to 1729. The Le dynasty, which ruled from 1428 to 1789, is famous for its founder, King Le Thai To, who liberated the country from Chinese Ming invaders.
When he came to the throne, he reduced and eliminated a number of taxes. At the time of his reign, the power of the Le dynasty was beginning to degrade. The Trinh Lords (1545-1787) held the real power over the court and the country. Lord Trinh Cuong (1709-1729) ruled at the same time as King Le Du Tong.
The country remained peaceful at this time, according to ancient historical documents, such as Kham Dinh Viet Su Thong Giam Muc (a history book with many chapters about the full history of Viet Nam, compiled by Nguyen dynasty historians, with the approval from the King).
"The dynasty did many things for the country and laws were strictly implemented. The king did not have to work hard, but his domain was kept in order thanks to important contributions made by Lord Trinh Cuong," the book wrote.
In 1729, the King abdicated the throne to his son Le Duy Phuong. Two years later, Le Du Tong died at the age of 52.
Found by farmers
The King’s remains were found in February 1958 by farmers in Bai Trach Village of Tho Xuan District, in the central province of Thanh Hoa while they were digging in a field. The outer coffin was discovered first and when they broke a corner they saw a red lacquer inner coffin trimmed with gold.
The coffin was then excavated in 1964 and brought to the Viet Nam History Museum.
When it was opened, the coffin had two bottoms, with a 10cm layer of roasted rice between them. The body was wrapped in many layers of clothes and shrouds, including eight large shrouds made of brocade, measuring 1.5m by 5m each; a small shroud made of two layers of brocade; a large royal robe with an embroidered dragon on the front and many other smaller dragons on the back and on both sleeves; two inner royal mantles; and three pairs of silk trousers.
The king’s face was covered with a shroud that has an image of a dragon in the centre.
They were the first specimens of clothing the museum ever had of Le dynasty costumes.
One of King Le Du Tong’s royal mantles, which was found buried with the king. After the remains are reburied on Monday, the mantle and other belongings found in the coffin will be kept at the Viet Nam History Museum.
VietNamNet/VNS
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SGGP - The remains of King Le Du Tong (1680-1731) will be buried in Bai Trach Village, Tho Xuan District of Thanh Hoa Province during a royal ceremony on January 25, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism announced January 21.
The funeral will be held at the Vietnam History Museum in Hanoi at 1 am on January 25 and presided over by the People’s Committee of Thanh Hoa Province, the Vietnam Buddhist Sangha Central Committee, and the Le royal family.
The King’s remains will be brought to Thanh Hoa for a special ceremony at 11 am during which his coffin will be lowered into the ground.
Before arriving at the cemetery, the funeral procession will stop at the Lam Kinh historical relic, about 50 km west of Thanh Hoa city. The site is a sacred area of eminent royal tombs of former Le Kings.
King Le Du Tong was the 22nd King of the Le Dynasty. He was enthroned in 1705 and presided over a period of peace and prosperity for 24 years before passing away at age 52.
According to the Le royal family annals, the King was buried in Bo Ve Village, Dong Son District (now Thanh Hoa Town).
However, Kham dinh viet su thong giam cuong muc (General History of Vietnam by Imperial Order of the Nguyen Dynasty) said that he was buried at the Co Do royal tomb in Dong Son and later moved to the Kim Thach tomb in Loi Duong District (now covering Tho Xuan and Thuong Xuan districts).
Then in February 1958, a farmer in Bai Trach Hamlet, Tho Xuan District found what was believed to be the King’s remains while digging in his garden. The coffin was moved to the Vietnam History Museum in 1964 where it remained for the next several decades.
In 1996, the Le royal family asked the Ministry of Culture and Information (now the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism) to bring the King’s body back home to Thanh Hoa.
After making a second request in October 2006, the President and Prime Minister gave approval to the Le family to hold a royal burial on January 25, 2010.
After nearly 46 years of being housed at the Vietnam History Museum in the capital, King Le Du Tong’s body will be brought home for burial on an area of around 5,000 square meters.
By V.Xuan – Translated Kim Khanh (SGGP)
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