The 400-year-old pagoda has a 'magic stone' on the top of a mountain in Binh Duong

Chau Thoi Pagoda (Binh Duong) is one of the oldest pagodas in the Southeast region. With ancient architecture and unique location, this temple attracts many tourists to visit and worship.

Chau Thoi Pagoda (Binh Duong) is one of the oldest pagodas in the Southeast region. With ancient architecture and unique location, this temple attracts many tourists to visit and worship.

Chau Thoi Pagoda is located on the mountain of the same name (Chau Thoi), in Binh An ward, Di An city, Binh Duong province, not far from Ho Chi Minh City or Dong Nai. This mountain is known as a scenic spot in the middle of the plain, 82m high above sea level.

Chau Thoi Pagoda is an architectural complex climbing on a rocky mountain, in front of a natural lake, surrounded by green trees. Everything is in harmony, creating a charming landscape of mountains and water. This place was ranked as a national scenic spot on April 21, 1989.

According to documents of the Binh Duong Provincial Museum, on top of Chau Thoi mountain there is a pagoda built in 1612, organized by monk Khanh Long. Up to now, the pagoda has been restored and embellished many times and has undergone many generations of monks and abbots.

Since ancient times, Chau Thoi has been famous as a sacred pagoda, associated with many legends, especially the story of the magic stone or "Mr. Ta". The story goes that in 1971, when the abbot opened the road and built steps from the foot of the mountain to the pagoda, he had to break a lot of rocks. At the 170th step, there is a large rock blocking the path. The workers could not move or break the stone.

After that, the abbot asked to keep the stone intact because he believed that this was a protective object, a "god" guarding the temple. The stone has remained in the middle of the road like that until now. The abbot used paint to write on the Chinese characters: "Ta Lao Trung Son", meaning "Mr. Ta in the middle of the mountain". People in the area call this "Mr. Ta" or "god stone" and worship it very solemnly.

Chau Thoi Pagoda is not only a spiritual destination for people, it is also a place where many tourists come to admire the scenery and immerse themselves in the peaceful, pure atmosphere among the mountains and hills. The temple is located about 30km northeast of Ho Chi Minh City, only takes nearly 1 hour to drive.

The pagoda is 20km west of Thu Dau Mot city, adjacent to Dong Nai river and located on the main road connecting Ho Chi Minh City - Binh Duong - Ba Ria Vung Tau. Thanks to its convenient location, the temple attracts many tourists to visit and pay their respects. When moving to the foot of the mountain, visitors have two choices: park the car here and climb 220 steps to get to the temple, or drive along the road leading straight to the temple.

In early August, a set of photos of the scenery of Chau Thoi pagoda was posted on social networks and attracted the attention of many people. It is known that the owner of this photo set is photographer Nguyen Van Huu (36 years old, living in Hanoi).

During his trip to Bien Hoa (Dong Nai), Mr. Huu was introduced to Chau Thoi Pagoda by an acquaintance. "When I came here, I was very surprised by the unique location of the temple. The scenery here is peaceful and beautiful like a paradise," Mr. Huu shared.

Currently, Chau Thoi Pagoda is an extremely diverse complex, rich in architecture and spirituality. The pagoda includes the following areas: the main hall, the Ngu Hanh Nuong Nuong shrine, Thien Thu Thien Nhan, Dieu Tri Kim Mau, Linh Son Thanh Mau and the Jade Emperor shrine.

In 1996, the pagoda built a 22m high stupa with a total of 4 floors, which not only helped increase the aesthetics of the whole complex, but also expanded the display space for visitors to visit.

The main color of the pagoda is eye-catching golden yellow, right from the design of the pagoda's roof, it attracts and contributes to highlighting its majesty and antiquity. On the top of the roof there are 9 dragons facing different directions. The facade is also decorated with ceramics and porcelain in the shape of four sacred animals, fists, and Buddha's birth.

Stepping inside the temple grounds, visitors can admire the solemn, skillfully sculpted statues. In particular, the statue of Avalokiteśvara is cast in bronze and marble. When viewed from above, the highlight of the pagoda is the two white statues of Avalokiteśvara in the left and right corners of the pagoda complex. Both statues exude majesty but do not lack gentleness and charity.

In addition, Chau Thoi Pagoda also preserves 3 ancient stone Buddha statues, and the Guanyin statue is made of jackfruit wood and is more than 100 years old.

The pagoda also impresses with its unique architecture when it uses colorful ceramic pieces to create the shape of two dragons more than ten meters long at the tip of the pagoda's roof. Currently, there are a total of 9 dragons in the temple with heads facing different directions. Viewed from above, the image of winding dragons contributes to the solemn, ancient beauty of the temple.

Located high on the top of the mountain, when visiting Chau Thoi pagoda in the morning, visitors feel as if they are in a fairyland. Below is a deep abyss, a quiet lake, on all four sides is a quiet space, above the head is the wind and clouds.

Because it is located near amusement and resort areas such as Tam Bao pagoda, Lo O stream, Buu Long mountain (Bien Hoa), it is very convenient for tourists to visit the pagoda.

Mr. Trung Tinh (23 years old, Binh Duong) is someone who often goes to the temple on weekends or whenever he has free time. "I really like the space at the temple. Coming here, I not only admire the architecture but I also feel the peaceful, cool space, it seems like all the burdens and worries are eased," he said. Gentleness of sharing.

Binh Duong 1512 view

Update day : 28/11/2023