Dinh Bang village communal house
(BNP) - Dinh Bang communal house is one of the largest and finest village communal houses in Vietnam, is a famous ancient communal house the Northern built in 1736. It is the unique identity of national architecture, which retains the integrity of national stilt house type applied in communal house architecture.
Dinh Bang village communal house (Source: Internet).
It worships three village tutelary gods including Earth spirit, Water spirit and Cultivation spirit. Dinh Bang consists of all three clusters of cultural relics, especially relics under Ly dynasty, forming a unique memorial zone with historical resonance and national scope with communal houses, temples, pagodas and tombs and monuments...
Dinh Bang is a large-scale architectural work, which previously comprised a three-entrance gate; the central gate was built with bricks in the shape of a lantern. At its two sides, there are vaulted gates with fake roofs. Just like other communal houses, the most significant work of Dinh Bang, in terms of architecture, is Bai Duong, which is in rectangular of 20 m long, 14 m wide and consists of seven compartments. It is very imposing due to its large roof of 2/3 total height and about 60 iron-wood pillars with diameters ranging from 55 to 65cm placed on square bluestone blocks.
Entering the center of the communal house, visitors shall be greeted and attracted by carving art elites of the 18th century. The first attraction to visitors is a great door at the middle curve of the outside compartment. It covers a wide area stretching all over the compartment and is carved delicately on 7 layers, 9 squares in themes of four animals and four treasures...
The frame structure of the communal house is pretty steady, bound together by overlaying joints. Each sculpture in the communal house is considered a unique masterpiece. The "Bat ma quan phi" work presents the livelihood, generosity and peacefulness of this land through image and posture of each horse; or the work "two flanking lions" demonstrates different feelings of male and female lion, etc. In 1946, Uncle Ho paid his visit to Dinh Bang communal house and it was one of the places planning to prepare for the first session of National Assembly. Thus, the communal house becomes more notable to everyone. Over 200 years since its construction, Dinh Bang today has entered spiritual life and pride of Northern people particularly and of the country generally.
Taking place from February 14 to 16 on the lunar calendar, Dinh Bang Festival commemorates three gods including Cao Sơn Đại vương (Mountain spirit), Thủy Bá Đại vương (Water spirit), and Bạch Lệ Đại vương (God of agriculture).
Dinh Bang village communal house has been ranked National Historic Site by the State since 1961.
