Enormous bronze urns are invaluable cultural relic
19:53 04/03/2009

  Urns from the Nguyen dynasty stand in front of The Mieu Temple in Hue   Any visit to Hue must include a trip to the amazing imperial urns of the Nguyen kings located in the old imperial city.

These urns will give you a sample of the impressive bronze casting technology of that era, as well as a taste of Vietnam during the dynamic Nguyen dynasty (1802-1945).

In 1802, Nguyen Anh took the throne and became Emperor Gia Long, founding the Nguyen dynasty that was to reign from Hue until 1945.

In their 143-year rule, the Nguyen kings ordered the construction of a system of citadels, royal palaces, mausoleums, temples and pagodas, as well as houses with gardens that served as kings' and mandarins' residences in Hue and neighboring areas.

Among the particularly impressive architectural accomplishments are the nine imperial bronze urns, known in Vietnamese as Cuu Dinh, standing in front of The Mieu Temple dedicated to 10 of the 13 Nguyen kings.

Vietnam's greatest urns were cast from 1835 to 1837 under the reign of Emperor Minh Mang as a symbol of the dynasty's sovereignty.

The urns are of the same design but have different sizes and weights.

The largest is Cao Urn, measuring 2.5 meters in height and 2,601 kilograms in weight. The smallest is the 2.31-meter, 1,935-kilogram Huyen Urn.

Each of them carries the mieu hieu - the name of one of the kings worshipped in The Mieu Temple.

Cao is named after King The To Cao (Gia Long) and Nhan after King Thanh To Nhan (Minh Mang).

Chuong commemorates King Thieu Tri, Anh King Tu Duc, Nghi King Kien Phuc, Thuan King Dong Khanh and Tuyen King Khai Dinh.

The last two urns, Du and Huyen, still have yet to be matched with the names of any king.

Each urn is engraved with famous landscapes and distinguishing features from the country's various regions.

There are three rows of pictures on each urn.

The top row features mountains, forests, animals and fields.

The row in the middle shows images of weapons, such as bows and arrows, swords and cannons.

The lower row focuses on ships, and valuable forestry and sea products.

Many experts say the 153 reliefs on the nine urns constitute an archaeological encyclopedia of Vietnam during the Nguyen dynasty.

For example, if one urn depicts a mountain in the north, the next urn features a river in the south and the next an estuary in the central region.

You can see images of the Hong (Red) River on Tuyen, the Cuu Long (Mekong) River on Huyen Urn and the Huong River on Nhan Urn.

Besides pictures of wild animals in forests, the urns also carry images of marine creatures.

Other motifs include dragons, peacocks, elephants and horses standing together with domes-tic fowl, as well as rare forest vegetation appearing next to common crops, such as onions, rice, beans and corn.

Each relief is considered an original artwork, attesting to the country's beauty and the talents of Vietnamese bronze-casting artisans in the 19th century.

This precious cultural heritage is incredibly well-preserved, and provides a good chance for visitors to Hue to discover more about the history of the Nguyen dynasty and experience a unique sampling of ancient Vietnamese culture.

Reported by Nhat Hung

Source : thanhniennews.com