Vien Giac Pagoda - Imprint of Ben Tre ancient pagoda

​As a province in the Southwest region, Ben Tre tourism makes visitors immerse themselves in the charming river beauty with fruit-laden fruit gardens, rich aquatic resources, fresh air, and cool weather around. year. Not only that, this land also has a unique cultural beauty, especially the ancient and sacred pagodas associated with the process of "reclaiming and opening the land" of the ancient Ben Tre residents.

​As a province in the Southwest region, Ben Tre tourism makes visitors immerse themselves in the charming river beauty with fruit-laden fruit gardens, rich aquatic resources, fresh air, and cool weather around. year. Not only that, this land also has a unique cultural beauty, especially the ancient and sacred pagodas associated with the process of "reclaiming and opening the land" of the ancient Ben Tre residents.

The famous pagodas in Ben Tre can be mentioned such as: Tuyen Linh Pagoda, Van Phuoc Pagoda, Hoi Ton Pagoda, Vien Minh Pagoda, Vien Giac Pagoda, ... In which, Vien Giac Pagoda is not only a temple with beautiful architecture but also associated with the history of Coconut Land. The pagoda is located in ward 5, Ben Tre city on an area of ​​3,500m2. The front of the temple faces the canal; Behind is the crowded Hoang Lam Street, not far away is the Ben Tre River. In general, the pagoda's position is very convenient in terms of road and river, people and tourists from far away can easily visit and worship Buddha.

 Quiet space at Vien Giac Pagoda (Photo: K.D.)

In the past, this was a Khmer temple, built around 1870. Due to the change of time, the Khmer monks left and the temple was degraded. At that time, the An Hoi village official took over the management and the temple has since become the temple of An Hoi village. In 1900, Venerable Tam Quang was invited by the deity of An Hoi village to become the abbot of Vien Giac pagoda, he did many Buddhist works for the temple, most notably the great restoration of Vien Giac pagoda from 1915-1924. Until 1965, the pagoda continued to be restored, rebuilt the walls, facades, roof, but still retains the same architecture to this day.

The pagoda is located on a spacious ground and has beautiful scenery, the front facing the gentle canal, creating the "Ming road of water" for the temple.In the front yard stands out the statue of Bodhisattva Quan Am. painted gold holding a vase standing on a dignified lotus.The temple was completed over many periods.The most culturally valuable architectural complex of the temple is the three buildings: the electric money, the ancestral house and the lecture hall. Located on the same vertical axis, this is the pagoda architecture with the word "tam" (三) - a common temple architecture in the South. Inside the pagoda, worshiping in the style of "before Buddha, after the ancestors", along with solemnly painted wooden statues with a history of more than a hundred years, embellished with diaphragms, the relationship has increased in depth. ancient.

The main hall of Vien Giac pagoda (Photo: K.D.)

The electricity bill is a three-compartment two-winged building, next to the left and right walls, there are altars of Dharma Protector and Tieu Dien Dai Si. These are two ancient statues made of wood with very fine carving lines. In the middle of the front hall is a large altar, decorated with statues of Ngoc Hoang, Nam Tao, and Bac Dau; Quan Thanh and two members of the Ten Palaces of Hell are King Yama (five palaces) and Zhuan Luan Vuong (ten palaces). These statues are also made of wood and carved according to specific standards. Behind it, there is also a wooden set of paintings to worship the Eight Arhats made in the year of the Horse (1918). It can be said that this is a very special artifact, unlike the worshiping pictures of the same type in other temples in the province.

The main hall is built in the form of four pillars with 4 columns in the middle. At the main center is a place to worship Buddha with a three-storey high altar: The top floor is the set of Di Da Tam Ton with Di Da, Quan Am, The Chi; the middle layer is the Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva; The bottom floor is the newborn Shakyamuni, on both sides there are statues of Good and Evil. Both sides worship the statue of Buddha Shakyamuni, which originated from Linh Son Pagoda (Saigon) and was invited to Vien Giac Pagoda under the reign of Tam Quang. The system of worshiping statues at the main hall are made of wood and are ancient artifacts associated with the historical periods of the temple. The decoration around the Tam Bao altar is extremely artistic and splendid with the blue sack carved with the theme of Cuu Long, the pair of Chinese characters carved on the background of dragons and clouds. This is a gift from two famous wealthy women in Ben Tre, Ms. Ba Le Thi Ngoi and Ms. Pham Thi Quy.

Vien Giac Pagoda is an ancient temple that is famous not only in Ben Tre but also throughout the South because it has been associated with the Buddhist revival movement of Venerable Le Khanh Hoa - a high monk who is adept in Buddhist studies. maintain Tuyen Linh pagoda). The picture of the imperial palace, which was worshiped by the Most Venerable Le Khanh Hoa and placed solemnly on the main hall, speaks for itself. In 1927, monk Khanh Hoa organized a one-year Buddhist teaching class for Buddhists at the temple.

Currently, at the temple, there are still many Buddhist documents and scriptures related to the period of Buddhist revival in Cochinchina. During the years of resistance against the French colonialists, the temple abbots made many contributions to the patriotic movement, such as Master Chi An. In 1946, Master Chi An with patriotic spirit joined Buddhism to save the country in Ben Tre province. Therefore, the pagoda was a place of revolutionary activities, a meeting place of patriots at that time. In 1989, this place marked a turning point in the history of Buddhism in Ben Tre, where the opening ceremony of the Representative Board of the Provisional Buddhist Association of Ben Tre Province took place, opening the life of the monks and nuns. Buddhists.

Today, the temple has many support activities in charity work, local social protection to help people in the area stabilize their lives, as well as contribute to the Vietnam Buddhist Church in terms of human and intellectual resources. in the training of talented monks at Ben Tre Buddhist Intermediate School.

Vien Giac Co Tu was founded in 1870 Photo: K.D

The pagoda is a sacred space associated with the beliefs and culture of Vietnamese people. Coming to Ben Tre, Vien Giac Pagoda will be an address for Buddhist monks and nuns from all over the world to pay their respects to the Buddha and find a place of peace and tranquility in their minds.

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Update day : 23/08/2023