by Lê Hương*

The images of the dragon and snake are popular in Việt Nam’s architecture.

The most popular ones include ascending dragons, dragons keeping gems in their mouths, or dragons curling their bodies.

Now a unique stone sculpture of an animal with a dragon’s head and a snake’s body biting its own body has raised a lot of curiosity among researchers.

Two scientific workshops have been held to find out the secret of the sculpture, which has been listed among rare national treasures.

It is now preserved at a temple dedicated to the Royal Tutor Lê Văn Thịnh (1038-1096) in the northern province of Bắc Ninh, about 35 km north of the capital Hà Nội.

He was a talented educator and philosopher, gaining the highest scores in the royal exam in 1075 by King Lý Nhân Tông (1066-1128).

He taught the king when he was nine years old. As a leading mandarin in the court, he then succeeded in reclaiming six provinces of Vietnam from the Chinese Song Dynasty.

The unique sculpture in Việt Nam with a dragon- headed snake bites on itself. VNA/VNS Photo

He helped make a lot of improvements in the royal administration and, in that way, harmed other mandarins’ profit.

Historical documents said that in November 1095, King Lý Nhân Tông was watching people fishing on the West Lake. He was on a small boat with very few bodyguards when suddenly a fog descended and covered the whole lake so nobody could see anything.

The King then heard a boat approaching. When the mists cleared, Lê Văn Thịnh appeared on another boat on the lake with some weapons.

It is now kept at a temple dedicated the Royal Tutor Lê Văn Thịnh (1038-1096) in the northern province of Bắc Ninh. VNS Photo Bảo Long

This sudden apparition led dishonest mandarins to tell the Kind that Lê Văn Thịnh had a plot to murder him.

Lê Văn Thịnh was punished and exiled to today’s Phú Thọ Province for being wrongly accused and he died on the way back from exile near Bút Tháp Pagoda, some 20km from his hometown.

A temple dedicated to him was built at his old home, where, in 1991, locals found the unique sculpture.

"This is a standard-quality sculpture in terms of structure and appearance," Nguyễn Văn Sơn, President of Việt Nam Historians' Association. "But the dragons often fly up or pose with curled bodies. Here, the dragon bites on its own body. This is a very special sculpture, maybe the only one in Việt Nam."

Researchers said the sculpture was made in the Lý Dynasty at the end of the 11th and early 12th century.

The dragon is believed to be the King, who felt painful inside when he had to sentence his own tutor. VNA/VNS Photo

The dragon has two ears, but only the left one has a hole.

"The sculpture makers might have sent some hidden message on Lê Văn Thịnh’s fate," Sơn said. "The dragon may symbolise the King. It has five fingers. The sculpture may represent Kinh Lý Nhân Tông when he felt guilty charging Lê Văn Thịnh’s fault. The king might not have listened to all the information and accused Thịnh wrongly."

Many temples dedicated to the talented royal tutor have been built in many localities in the North and various festivals are held in his honour.

Nguyễn Đức Át, head of Bảo Tháp Village, said as a person born in this land, he and other locals are proud of him as a distinguished person.

The dragon has five fingers which may be symbolic of the King, according to the researchers. VNA/VNS Photo

"In the past, only sons of mandarins could become mandarins," he said. "But Lê Văn Thịnh was only the son of a Confucian scholar. He was promoted to be a royal tutor and a leading mandarin. Now we preserve this relic site and often care much about teaching our children to strive to study to follow local traditions."

Present students are proud of the deep tradition of learning, and possibly luck, that the site confers.

"My teachers told me to come here to worship him and wish for good luck in my study as the royal tutor studied very well," said nine-year-old Lê Công Gia Phát.

Đinh Thị Thùy Linh, a 20-year-old student, said since she was small, she knew that this temple was dedicated to Lê Văn Thịnh, the most talented person at the first royal exam.

Local pupils pay tribute to the famed royal tutor Lê Văn Thịnh. VNS Photo Lê Hương

"My high school was also named after him," she said. "Sometimes, I come here to burn incense before my exams. I believe that by coming here, I will receive spiritual values and be inspired by the royal tutor. I’m proud that my homeland has such talented people. I will try to study hard to be successful like him."

Ceremonies honouring the best local teachers and students are held here regularly, while the national-level relic site has become a popular destination for visitors. VNS

(*with an additional interview by Nguyễn Bảo Long)