The people of Thanh Binh village, Thanh Loc commune (Can Loc district, Ha Tinh province) have built a special stone temple since ancient times. They believe that this stone is very sacred for good luck.

Thanh Binh village, Thanh Loc commune (Can Loc district, Ha Tinh province) is located about 6km from National Highway 1A and nearly 30km from Ha Tinh city center. This is a purely agricultural village, with a peaceful life as the name suggests.

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Locals and tourists, if they have the opportunity to come here, will hear about and see first-hand how the villagers built a temple and worshiped an exposed stone covered with moss. They believe that this stone is very sacred in praying for good luck, especially “blessing” to help find pets. Therefore, they are often called “stone god”, “rock man” or “rock man”. At the beginning of the small alley leading to the most special place in this village, there is a signboard named Ban Tho Monument.

The stone is located in a green garden with dense trees, about 1,000m2. Inside there is a roof, a place to place offerings and a signboard with rules.

The stone that Thanh Binh villagers worship and worship has an oval shape, more than 1.5m long. Next to it is always a vase of fresh flowers, candles, incense burners and plates for people to come to burn incense and place offerings. The elderly people in the village do not know what year this stone is from and what its origin is. They only know that there is a very ancient time. 

Next to this strange temple, Mr. Nguyen Cong Ty (63 years old) said that when he was a child, he saw the old people worshiping the stone. At that time, the space of this place only had a stone and an altar to burn incense.

“Growing up, I see anyone who has lost anything, please find it again. Especially those who have lost buffaloes, cows, pigs, chickens… After the lost people come here to ask “sir” for help, one is a pet. If they come back by themselves, either someone tells them or they will find them. This is inexplicably coincidental to 80-90%, the rest is coincidental. Especially on the first day of the month, the full moon and the New Year, they also pray for peace. “, said Mr. Ty.

Over time, people come to worship more and more because they believe this place is sacred and brings good luck. In order to facilitate worship, decades ago, a temple and signpost were built by the people and the government with the name “Relic of Ban Tho” – the earth god of the indigenous people. This shrine has undergone many renovations. Most recently in 2022, the work was rebuilt at a cost of about 300 million VND, mainly from merit money.

According to the leader of Thanh Loc commune, the Elderly Association assigned to manage this temple should take the lead in building and embellishing it, under the supervision of the Commune People’s Committee and the Commune Fatherland Front. The work is built from the main materials are ironwood, jackfruit wood, green stone with many delicate carvings and patterns.

In the house next to the temple, Mrs. Phan Thi Soa (65 years old) volunteered to sweep leaves and clean up every day. When entering the supposedly sacred place, Mrs. Soa and the person who came to burn incense both dropped their slippers outside. “I do good deeds. Many people, if they see garbage, do the same as me,” said Ms. Soa.

According to many villagers, the temple also has a special, “mystical” thing when it is protected by many tall trees. Despite going through times of war and storms, these green trees never fell. In the summer, people in the village often come here to cool off. 

According (Dan Tri)