Bo Da Pagoda - a famous ancient site in Kinh Bac

(CLO) Bo Da Pagoda - Bac Giang is one of the most unique ancient pagodas in the Kinh Bac region and a major Buddhist center of the Truc Lam Yen Tu Zen sect, which was recognized as a special national relic in 2015. 2016.

(CLO) Bo Da Pagoda - Bac Giang is one of the most unique ancient pagodas in the Kinh Bac region and a major Buddhist center of the Truc Lam Yen Tu Zen sect, which was recognized as a special national relic in 2015. 2016.

Bo Da Pagoda, also known as Bo Pagoda or Tam Giao Pagoda, also known as Tu An Tu, is located on Phuong Hoang mountain (Bo Da mountain), Thuong Lat village, Tien Son commune, Viet Yen district, Viet Yen province. Bac Giang. The set of Buddhist sutras carved on wood kept in the pagoda is considered the oldest of the Lam Te Zen sect,...

This pagoda still retains its original traditional Vietnamese architecture. Bo Da Pagoda has a unique and different architecture compared to traditional temples in the North of our country.

This place has the largest and most beautiful tower garden in Vietnam, many valuable antiques and a rich treasure trove of Sino-Nom heritage. This is also a place where mountains and waters harmonize, the river looks like a mountain, the scenery and space are tinged with time, surrounded by hills and villages.

Bo Da Pagoda, also known as Bo Pagoda or Tam Giao Pagoda, also known as Tu n Tu, is located on Phuong Hoang mountain (Bo Da mountain), Thuong Lat village, Tien Son commune, Viet Yen district, Viet Yen province. Bac Giang.

Bo Da Pagoda worships the Three Teachings, including Avalokiteśvara Bodhisattva, Truc Lam Tam To (including Tran Nhan Tong, Phap Loa and Huyen Quang), Confucius... The bamboo and stone books left behind are still handed down. training people to join the Lam Te sect (Son Mon Bo Da) according to old customs.

Bo Da pagoda complex is a collection of relics including: Bo Da Son ancient pagoda (or Bo Da pagoda, Bo pagoda; also known as Quan Am pagoda), Tu An main pagoda, Tam Duc Am (built later, during the Hau Le). In addition, on Bo Da Mountain there is also a temple worshiping Thach Tuong Dai Vuong - the person who helped the 16th Hung King fight against foreign invaders.

The birth of Bo Da Pagoda is also associated with many anecdotes. Legend has it that around the 11th century, at the foot of the mountain there lived a poor family of woodcutters who were very kind and hardworking but were over 40 years old and still had no children. That day, the husband carried an ax and ax up the mountain to look for firewood and suddenly came across an old pine tree. With each cut, he chanted: "Avalokiteśvara Buddha". After that, when he found 32 coins at the base of the tree, he was surprised and immediately asked the monk. He said: "Avalokiteśvara Buddha has 32 requirements." The woodcutter prayed: "If Guan Yin Buddha blesses me to give birth to a son, I would like to build a temple."

After that, the woodcutter had a son, saved money to build a pagoda, and painted a statue of Quan Am Tong Tu to worship. Over time, many people passed by to worship and pray for anything, so it was called Ong Bo Pagoda. Because it is a temple worshiping Buddha (Buddha, derived from the word Buddha), it is called Bo Da pagoda.

Bo Da Pagoda is one of the major Buddhist centers of the Truc Lam Zen sect, where it still retains the original traditional Vietnamese architecture.

Some people also believe that Bo Da is a misnomer from Pho Da - originating from the word Buddha, where Bodhisattva Avalokiteśvara appeared to save lives, so it is also called Quan Am Pagoda. Later, the pagoda included Tu An pagoda, so it was also called Tu An pagoda.

Bo Da Pagoda is one of the major Buddhist centers of the Truc Lam Zen sect, where it still retains the original traditional Vietnamese architecture. Currently, Bo Da Pagoda still has many precious documents, artifacts, and antiques of great cultural, historical, architectural, and fine arts value. In particular, it is the oldest Buddhist scripture woodblock in Vietnam carved on wood.

In terms of architecture, Bo Da Pagoda has unique architecture and is different from traditional temples in Northern Vietnam. It is an architectural style that "closes the interior and exterior" to create a solitude, serenity, and sacred look.

With a harmonious architectural layout system built with materials: baked bricks, tiles, clay pots, and unique earthen walls. The walls, gates and a number of other structures are built entirely of rammed earth in a wall-shaped style. The entrance gate to the pagoda has a salt stone floor of different sizes, built according to Nguyen Dynasty architecture with a bell tower appearance.

In particular, many walls are built of clay pots like Tho Ha village, which specializes in producing jars and clay pots a few kilometers away, creating a quiet, ancient look but also very close to the delta countryside. Northern region.

Ms. Le Nhu Van, a Buddhist from Tuyen Quang, said: "Bo Da Pagoda is an ancient pagoda that gives us a feeling of antiquity, majesty, serenity but also very familiar. There are features in the architecture here that resemble the rural houses of the ancient Northern countryside. We followed the group to burn incense and practice here, feeling peaceful and cleansed a lot."

This is a plot of land lying tilted at the height of Bo Da Mountain on an area of ​​nearly 8,000 m², storing relics and ashes of the monks of the Lam Te Zen lineage.

The entire main temple has an area of ​​about 51,784 m² divided into three distinct areas. The garden is 31,000 m², the temple inner area is 13,000 m² and the tower garden is 7,784 m².

Coming to Bo Pagoda, visitors cannot miss the monk tower garden. With about 100 towers, Bo Da Pagoda's tower garden is considered the most beautiful and largest among ancient temples in Vietnam. Over time, this is the resting place of more than 1,000 monks who practiced at the temple.

This is a plot of land lying tilted at the height of Bo Da Mountain on an area of ​​nearly 8,000 m², storing relics and ashes of the monks of the Lam Te Zen lineage. The pagoda used mountain stones, bricks and clay to build a wall surrounding the tower garden, giving the garden a peaceful, profound feeling.

The temple garden is planted with traditional fruit trees and seasonal crops. Surrounding trenches were dug for drainage and protection. For a long time, this garden has been the center of people's religious activities.

The inner pagoda (Tu An Pagoda) was built in the Later Le Dynasty, with a design following the foreign internal architectural style. The entire temple complex currently consists of 16 large and small buildings with a total of 92 rooms. Among them, the three treasures building is architecturally shaped like a nail. The front hall has 7 rooms, brick walls, tiled roof, square tiled floor. The steps are paved with green stone slabs of different sizes.

Currently, this place preserves many precious documents, artifacts, and antiques of great value in terms of culture, history, architecture, and fine arts, typically the system of Buddha statues of the Le Dynasty, Woodblocks of Zen Buddhist scriptures. The Lam Te sect is nearly 300 years old,...

The annual Bo Da Pagoda Festival held from the 16th to 18th of the second lunar month is very solemn and crowded. In addition, the Bo Da festival also takes place on September 12, the transformation day of Thach Linh Than General...

With its unique architecture and rich history, culture and distinction, Bo Da Pagoda deserves to be a destination in the journey to find the roots of tourists.

Ms. Pham Thi Hai, a tourist from Bac Ninh, said: "Bac Giang people have a saying "First is Duc La Pagoda/ Second is Bo Pagoda, third is Trang Pagoda". That is enough to show the position, importance and specialness of Bo Pagoda. As far as I know, Bo Da festival is one of 11 heritage sites recognized by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism as a national intangible cultural heritage. We need to preserve, enhance and promote those values."

With its unique architecture and rich history, culture and distinction, Bo Da Pagoda deserves to be a destination in the journey to find the roots of tourists.

Bac Giang 1747 view

Update day : 23/12/2023