Dong Duong Buddhist Institute

Dong Duong Buddhist Institute

The archaeological historical and architectural artistic relic of Dong Duong Buddhist Monastery (Dong Duong Buddhist Monastery Ruins Area) is located in Dong Duong village, Binh Dinh Bac commune, Thang Binh district, Quang Nam province. Dong Duong Buddhist monastery only really became known when French scientists announced the results of research and excavations. According to the content of the stele found in Dong Duong, in 875 King Indravarman II built a Buddhist monastery and temple to the Bodhisattva protecting the dynasty, Laskmindra Lokesvara Svabhyada. The nature of Mahayana Buddhism is clearly shown through the content of inscriptions as well as sculptures in Dong Duong. During the reign of Indravarman II, the capital of the Champa kingdom was moved from the Panduranga region back to the Amaravati region, with the new name Indrapura. According to some researchers, the location for building the capital Indrapura was the Dong Duong village area today. The capital is located in Dong Duong field, about 2 km2 wide (according to the interpretation of French researchers, Dong Duong means sacred field. The word "Duong" is a variation of the word "Yan" - heaven, sacred. in Cham language). It is a rectangular valley with three sides East, South and West surrounded by high mountains and hills. To the north is Ly Ly stream, the gateway to trade with the outside is arranged very discreetly. The inscription also records the king's piety, saying that in 875, "Due to his belief in Buddhism, the king built a Buddhist monastery (Vihara) and the Laksmindra Lokesvara Svabhayada temple. The inscription also talks about the realm of bliss (svargapura) or the "liberated city" (moksapura), the "residence" of Buddha (Buddhapada). The king emphasized that those who commit crimes must be damned to hell. After construction was completed, the king also donated a lot of land, money, slaves and many other things to Lokesvara. The king advised: After his death, his name was changed to Paramabuddhaloka. All of the above events have proven that King Indravarman II was identified with Buddha in the form of Bodhisattva. Champa Buddhism during this period followed Mahayana. In September 1996, the Vietnam Institute of Archeology, Hanoi National University and Quang Nam - Da Nang Museum coordinated a survey in Dong Duong village. Archaeologists have found that, in addition to the architectural vestiges of the Buddhist monastery, there are not many traces of human residence during the Champa kingdom in Dong Duong village. The climate in Dong Duong village is very harsh, the land is arid, the arable soil layer is only about 40 - 50cm thick, in some places it is only 20cm thick, underneath is laterite layer, this is not a convenient place to build. capital. It can be said that Dong Duong is purely the Buddhist Holy Land of the Champa kingdom, while Indrapura capital must be a larger area, outside the Dong Duong Buddhist monastery. The Buddhist monastery is a large architectural complex nestled within a rectangular citadel wall called the outer citadel, with its long side running in the main East - West direction, measuring about 155m by 326m. The remaining traces of the foundation show that this was a quite large and high wall. The outer citadel contains 3 East-West coaxial architectural clusters and 3 large artificial lakes. There are 2 lakes in the Northeast corner and one in the Southeast corner. Today one has been leveled for farming. In addition, the southeast corner of the outer citadel also has architectural traces of a long building. The outer citadel has two gates, East and West. Currently, traces of the gate are very faint. Inside the Outer Citadel there is the Inner Citadel. The inner citadel surrounds the central temple, including the main tower. The inner citadel also has a special tower called the Well Tower - located in the southwest corner of the inner citadel, which has been buried today. + Main temple area: located in a rectangular area. + East group: only traces of the foundation of the long house remain, which researchers believe is a Buddhist monastery (Vihara). + Middle group: only traces of the base of the walls and steps of a long house along the East-West axis remain. + West group: includes the main temple and surrounding auxiliary towers, this temple belongs to the traditional tower type of Cham architecture; During the discovery and excavation of the Dong Duong Buddhist Monastery Ruins, archaeologists found many valuable artifacts such as: stone statue of Dharma Protector, stone Buddha statue, group of stone Siva statues, statues of Buddha. Bronze Buddha (national treasure - kept at Ho Chi Minh City Museum of History), bronze goddess statue,... Most of the sculptures in Dong Duong are displayed at the Cham Museum in Da Nang. The sculptures in Dong Duong formed a famous artistic style from the middle of the 9th century to the end of the 9th century, called Dong Duong style. Dong Duong is a very unique Buddhist relic site of the Cham kingdom, not only has typical value in Vietnam but is also a rare Buddhist relic in the world during the ancient and medieval periods. Through the remaining artifacts, it reflects the heyday of a royal dynasty, and at the same time brings Cham sculpture to its pinnacle. From a religious perspective, Dong Duong makes a unique contribution to the Buddhist art of humanity, exemplary in its display, in the meaning of worship statues, reliefs, and layouts, and is also rare among Buddhist relics. Ancient religion remains today in Vietnam and Southeast Asia. With particularly typical values, the archaeological historical and architectural artistic relic of Dong Duong Buddhist Institute was ranked by the Prime Minister as a special national monument on December 22, 2016. Source: Department of Cultural Heritage

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