Discovering ruins of Tran dynasty Buddhist architecture

Mr. Tran Xuan Ca, Director of the Museum of Yen Bai province said, recently the Provincial Museum has discovered the system of Tran dynasty Buddhist architectural ruins at Pu Tre hill in the O village, the hill of Pu Key Nong village and the garden. Mr. Luong Van Xien in Dao village, Phu Nham commune, Van Chan district belongs to the east of Muong Lo field.

From the 80s of the twentieth century, archaeologists in Phu Nham commune discovered bronze drum relics, bronze fields, copper arms . belonging to Dong Son culture.

In 2000, Mr. Luong Van Xien in Dao village after hiring a machine to dig soil to dig ponds, at a depth of 60-80cm, discovered about 5-6 kilns, strange ancient bricks and tiles: rectangular bricks, nose tiles. leaves, comedy nose, tube tile . Now a part of the foundation is deep, the embankment embankment of the fields, pond banks, scattered in the garden garden with a large number.

At Pu Tre hill, about 1km north of Luong Van Xien's house, in 1978, the Chinese cooperative hired a top bulldozer to grow sugarcane, then revealed the nose and leaf roof tiles. When ironing to the top of the plane, detecting stone bundles of stones, tiles, ceramics and coins.

Dozers die, they consider it 'sacred' so leave it in place, now grow tea, glue and plant bamboo. Since the upland people continue to exploit tea-growing land, this hill was named Pu Tre by local black Thai people (meaning tea hill).

In June 2011, the Provincial Museum organized an investigation and survey, archaeological exploration team at the bottom of the hill, Pu Tre hilltop, Pu Chu Pagoda and Mr. Luong Van Xien's home garden in Dao village.

At two hills of Pu Tre hill, Pu Chu Pagoda has discovered types of stone called "monk stone" , brick, tile, comedy nose tile, leaf nose tile, cow roof tile, cow's roof tile decorated with lotus and wings. Flip lotus, brown flower ceramic.

The strange thing is that the monk's stones are all taken from the Thia nib to enclose the seams, but in Pu Tre use stones of 2kg or more, while in Pu Pagoda Pagoda only use stones of 1kg or less. The base is carved with lotus petals, but these tablets have been transferred to the sharpening stone by the people, thus losing their definition.

In particular, at Pu Chu hill, 2 km from Mr. Luong Van Xien's house, 1 km from Pu Tre hill to the north, just peeling a layer of dark brown soil (humus soil) about 35 to 45cm is touching bricks and tiles.

The investigation and survey team said that Mr. Luong Van Xien's house is a production area of ​​terracotta materials to build Buddhist architecture; In Pu Tre and Pu Chu Chua, stone monk is transported from Thia stream to embank the foundation of the above mentioned architectural system.

However, the Black Thai ethnic group who had previously written and resided without any writing page as well as the elderly here did not know anything about the relic system, massive terracotta ruins that existed in the place. here. It is not clear what the relationship is, relative to the Buddhist architecture of the Trần Dynasty (in Phú Thọ) or Hắc Y - Lục Yên (Yên Bái) or not.

The survey team is making a report to ask the People's Committee of Yen Bai province to coordinate with archaeological experts, continue to expand, research and excavate large and long-term (because of complete ruins located deep in the ground) at the points discovered this area. This work has a great meaning to clarify the history of the Tran dynasty and the history of Thai Black Muong Lo - Van Chan. Most likely, this is a rare and unique Tran dynasty, first discovered in the West of Yen Bai province.