Under Nguyen dynasty, a group of solders was dispatched to station in Hoang Sa islands in order to protect the country’s sovereignty over its islands. Recently, it was discovered that a chief of this solders group was Mr. Nguyen Huu Nien in An Nong village, Loc Bon commune, Phu Loc district, Thua Thien Hue province.
According to old written materials preserved by Nguyen Huu lineage in An Nong village, Loc Bon commune, Phu Loc district (former Phú Vang district), Mr Nguyen Huu Nien was the 9th ancestor of Nguyen Huu lineage. These Old materials contain two documents issued by King Gia Long to award Mr Nguyen Huu Nien a title of credit in the system of armed forces under Nguyen dynasty. The historical materials kept by Nguyen Huu lineage also mentioned that he was worshipped at the village temple and his name was cast in a bell inside the temple.
What was mentioned in the above historical materials of Nguyen Huu lineage was recorded clearly in Tien Linh temple, with the name cast in a big bell in the temple read as Nguyen Huu Nien. The written words in the ancestral tablet at the altar for whorshipping Mr Nguyen Huu Nien in the temple also stated Mr Nguyen Huu Nien as a chief of the solders group in charge of Hoang Sa islands.
According to Venerable Thich Phap Niem, Abbot of Tien Linh pagoda, initially the Tien Linh pagoda was a small temple for worshipping the Buddha in An Nong village, the bell in the pagoda was donated by Mr Nguyen Huu Nien, and the temple was later expanded thanks to contributions of land by several devotees, including Mr. Nguyen Huu Nien./.
Venerable Thích Pháp Niệm beside the altar worshipping Nguyễn Hữu Niên
Tien Linh pagoda
Minh Phương
