Rising up gracefully in Vietnam’s capital, the Temple of Literature stands as a striking monument to the beauty of traditional architecture. Built in 1070 as a Confucian temple and the nation’s first university, this site has welcomingly received scholars for over 900 years. Nestled among tranquil courtyards, lotus ponds, and frangipani trees, the temple’s stunning buildings exude an ambience that captivates. Visitors who meander through the grounds can admire first-hand the regal architecture that ornaments this wonderful vestige of Vietnam’s golden era as a center of learning.
Entering through the magnificent tiered gate at the temple’s front, one gets a preview of the striking structures within. This entranceway was reserved solely for kings and mandarins at the height of the temple’s prestige. Embellished carvings of four-clawed dragons wind across beams framing its three separate doorways. Perched on the sweeping curve of the roof, dancing phoenixes face each other as symbols of nobility. Gilded Chinese characters shine on a lacquered signboard overhead, bearing the temple’s official name translated to “Perfection of Literature”. Fit for royalty, this gate stands as an imposing example of classic Vietnamese style.
The Temple of Literature’s pièce de résistance rests across the third courtyard – the sanctified Hall of Great Perfection. This place once venerated Confucius, thought of as the “First Teacher” in Vietnam thanks to his philosophy’s influence. Built in 1070, the hall rises on a large stone platform, awing onlookers with a statuesque facade of red-painted wood columns. They hold up layered roofs swooping elegantly at the corners, accentuated with vibrant ceramic figurines. The interiors are just as impressive, filled with carved dragons, songbirds, and clouds. Though centuries have passed, ongoing restorations keep the Hall of Great Perfection and other aging shrines looking majestic.
Ranked scholars who passed royal exams from 1442-1779 had their names, home villages, and scores etched onto towering stone stelae erected at the Temple of Literature. These turtle-borne steles juxtapose weathered pillars engraved with myriad names against strikingly ornate stele pavilions built to shelter them. Crafted from sturdy wood, these pavilions feature tiers of curved roofs with Turner up at the edges like a scroll. Intricate ceramic mosaic patterns made from broken china form colorful scenes depicting flowers, fruits, and scenery on the roof surfaces. Visitors flock to take photos beside the distinct steles and under pavilion eaves arching gracefully skyward behind rows of stone turtles. Both beautiful works of architecture in their own right, the steles and pavilions lining the temple’s fourth courtyard manage to complement one another wonderfully as well.
Built at a monumental scale, the Temple of Literature could seem overwhelming if not for its tranquil ponds and pathways inviting visitors for mindful wandering. Starting from the first courtyard, a series of ten lotus ponds linked by little arched bridges extend towards the main temple buildings. Lining the ponds, painted balustrades shaped from stone stand over the water, accentuated by decorative dragons with fish in their mouths. Meandering pathways paved unevenly with slate lead visitors from one pool to the next. Benches tucked under pine trees offer shady respite for sitting and admiring the architecture amid lily pads floating serenely across pools. Calming in every season, the ponds and pathways almost seem designed expressly for scholarly reflection alongside the temples.
Against remarkable odds, Vietnam’s Temple of Literature persists beautifully intact since its completion over 900 years ago. Natural decay and wartime bombs pose continual threats, but ongoing restoration aim to preserve the buildings for posterity. Wandering the temple grounds today, one can still glimpse original structures. That housed royal chambers, lecture halls and dorms alongside later additions. The architecture acts as a profound bridge between past and future. In these historic buildings, generations of Vietnam’s best scholars once read, studied and taught just steps from where young graduates now pose excitedly for graduation photos. The exceptional state of preservation allows the architecture to keep welcoming scholars, both fresh and seasoned, for hopefully another millennium to come.
