Bà Chúa Xứ

Bà Chúa Xứ (Chữ nôm: 主處聖母, Chúa Xứ Thánh Mẫu, lit. “Holy Mother of the Realm”) is a prosperity goddess of southern Vietnam's Thanism. She is a tutelary of business, health, and a protector of the Vietnamese border. She is housed in Vĩnh Tế village at the foot of Sam Mountain, near Cambodia. A three-day festival is held in the village at the beginning of the rainy season, beginning on the twenty-third day of the fourth lunar month, in her honour. Bà Chúa Xứ reached her peak of popularity in the 1990s and still entertains pilgrims every year with her responsiveness to loyal followers.

Origins

According to French archaeologist Louis Malleret, the statue of the Lady of the Realm which is worshipped in Vĩnh Tế village is, in fact, an appropriated and feminized statue of the Indian god Shiva. The stone statue was created by the pre-Angkorean Khmer people of Cambodia. However, many of her worshippers may disagree with this theory. Stories of her heritage recount her growing naturally from stone before being discovered by the Vietnamese of Sam Mountain.