Statue of Linh Son Holy Mother at Ba Den Mountain

Linh Son Thanh Mau (Ba Den) is a belief that originated in Tay Ninh and gradually became popular in the South. The goddess has many different legends and was Vietnamized with the legend of "Huyen Trinh Nu".

Venerable abbot of Linh Son Phuoc Lam pagoda next to the statue of Linh Son Holy Mother

Linh Son Thanh Mau (Ba Den) is a belief that originated in Tay Ninh province and gradually became popular in the South. The goddess has many different legends and was Vietnamized by the story "Huyen Trinh Nu" about the black-faced girl Ly Thi Thien Huong. In folklore, Linh Son Thanh Mau is the guardian deity of the land and its residents. Every year, people inside and outside the province come to Ba Den mountain to visit her in large numbers, especially on the occasion of the Spring Festival of Ba Den mountain and her death anniversary (May 4-6 of the lunar calendar). In the past, people in Trang Bang also considered the sky-viewing table as a place to worship the sacred Ba Den mountain and pay respect to Linh Son Thanh Mau with the concept of "whenever there is a request, it will be answered", so even if they are far away, if they have the thought of remembering her, it is as if the mountain is near and she is present beside them.

In Tay Ninh Buddhism, the patriarchs all honored Linh Son Holy Mother as "Bodhisattva", so she is also called "Linh Son Holy Mother Bodhisattva". This is shown through ancient documents, woodblocks, and tablets. Linh Son Holy Mother was also considered as Buddha Quan Am. In the book "Tay Ninh Mountain Vang Dien Ba" (Vo Sam, 1925), there is a passage that says: "Of course, from time immemorial, the monks at the mountain, telling each other, all worshiped the Buddha (Quan Am) with the title "Linh Son Holy Mother", there is no origin of Ba Den at all".

Enshrining the statue of Linh Son Thanh Mau at Ba Temple (Ba Den Mountain) (Photo: NGUYEN HAI TRIEU)

With her blessing, Linh Son Thanh Mau statues were created to be worshiped in many places in communal houses, temples, private homes and Buddhist pagodas inside and outside Tay Ninh province with a variety of materials from terracotta, ceramic, wood, bronze, to statues made of jade, precious stones, composites,... rich in design. Through many historical periods, the statues carry the cultural value of the land and each relic where the statue resides.

In particular, it is said that many times she appeared to help Lord Nguyen Anh unify the country. After ascending the throne, King Gia Long ordered the local officials to cast the remains of Ba Denh in black bronze to worship at the cave on Linh Mountain (Huynh Minh (1972), Tay Ninh past and present, Author published, Saigon, p.46). This event is also mentioned in the story of Ly Thi Thien Huong: "... Duke Le Van Duyet, on behalf of King Gia Long, appointed Thien Huong as "Linh Son Thanh Mau", carved a statue to worship and reside on Mot Mountain, now renamed Ba Den Mountain".

Around 1945-1946, the French army returned to the South and stationed troops in Tay Ninh province, a battalion of French Foreign Legion soldiers stationed at Dien Ba mountain. The soldiers were unruly, suspecting that the monks were hiding gold and silver inside the Buddha statues, they took the Buddha statues from Linh Son Tien Thach pagoda down, used a knife to cut their stomachs and backs to look for gold and silver, but did not find any, then left the Buddha statues scattered in the middle of the pagoda yard. They thought the Linh Son Thanh Mau statue was made of gold, so they brought it to Tay Ninh market to sell. When they realized it was not made of gold, they left it with the owner of the bar.

A long time ago, the owner of this restaurant donated the statue of the Lady to the pagoda of the wife of the Governor To Van Qua. According to researcher Nguyen Quoc Viet, this pagoda no longer exists, the location of the pagoda used to be in the premises of the former Tay Ninh Provincial Party Committee (in Tan Ninh ward). The statue of the Lady Linh Son Thanh Mau was worshiped here for nearly 9 years without anyone knowing, thinking it was a statue of Buddha Quan Am.

Later, Mr. Nguyen Van Hao - a former primary school teacher in Tay Ninh province, came to the pagoda and recognized the statue of the Lady worshiped here. He immediately informed the Management Board of Dien Ba Mountain. The Management Board and the monks of Linh Son Tien Thach Pagoda sent representatives to meet Mr. and Mrs. To Van Qua to ask for the statue of the Lady to be worshiped at the old temple, which was approved by them.

In 1957, the Dien Ba Mountain Management Board organized a ceremony to welcome the relics of the Linh Son Holy Mother statue back to the mountain. The ceremony was held solemnly with the presence of all the dignitaries and people in the province. People from all over the country heard the news and came to attend in large numbers. The procession of flower cars led the way, followed by all kinds of vehicles, flags flying, the scene of the sacred mountain and blessed land was bustling and bustling (Huynh Minh (1972), Tay Ninh past and present, op. cit., p.205).

Ceremony to invite the relics of Linh Son Holy Mother statue from Linh Son Phuoc Lam pagoda to Ba Den mountain (Photo: NGUYEN HAI TRIEU)

In 1962, the war situation on the mountain began to become tense. The Management Board and monks on the mountain welcomed the statue of the Lady to worship at Linh Son Phuoc Lam Pagoda (Vinh Xuan Pagoda, now in Tan Ninh Ward). At that time, the pagoda was the headquarters of the Management Board of Dien Ba Mountain, presided over by Venerable Hue Phuong - Vice President.

More than half a century later, on August 8, 2025 (June 15, At Ty year), once again the Executive Committee of the Vietnam Buddhist Sangha in Tay Ninh province, together with the monks of Linh Son Tien Thach pagoda, the pagodas of Ba Den mountain and Buddhists from everywhere gathered at Linh Son Phuoc Lam pagoda to solemnly invite the relics of the statue of Linh Son Holy Mother to return to reside at Ba temple (Binh Minh ward, Ba Den mountain).

The Linh Son Holy Mother statue is made of bronze, cast hollow, about 60cm high. The base and back of the statue are dented, presumed to be traces of being beaten and slashed to find gold and the effects of war during the French occupation. The statue is made with the kind face of a Southern woman, sitting in a familiar, close posture, left leg crossed, right knee propped up, right hand placed on knee, left hand holding a Ruyi scepter.

Her costume is carved on the statue's skeleton in the style of the Nguyen Dynasty and the cultural exchange of the Chinese through the detail of the collar "truc diep kien, van kien". According to researcher Nguyen Duc Huy: "The generations of artisans creating statues in the South were all influenced by the art of creating of the Chinese people very early, around the 17th-18th centuries".

The statue of Linh Son Thanh Mau has marked the historical and cultural progress of Tay Ninh land, strengthening the belief of residents in the religion originating from the land in the Southwest of the Fatherland. The statue has high artistic value, is imbued with folklore and shows the cultural exchange between Vietnam and China through the way of shaping. After many changes of the times, the statue has returned to its original place of residence on the sacred Ba Den mountain so that Tay Ninh people and pilgrims can return to worship in peace and joy./.

Phi Thanh Phat

Source: https://baolongan.vn/cot-tuong-linh-son-thanh-mau-o-nui-ba-den-a202341.html