Explore a sacred pagoda nearly 1,000 years old, preserving 9-ton treasures in Nam Dinh

TPO - Co Le Pagoda holds a "treasure" named Dai Hong Chung (bell) cast by Venerable Thich The Long in 1936. The bell weighs 9 tons, is 4.2 m high, 2.2 m in diameter, The 8 cm thick wall was one of the largest bells in Vietnam at that time. Not only has historical, cultural, and architectural significance, Co Le Pagoda is also a revolutionary relic.

TPO - Co Le Pagoda holds a "treasure" named Dai Hong Chung (bell) cast by Venerable Thich The Long in 1936. The bell weighs 9 tons, is 4.2 m high, 2.2 m in diameter, The 8 cm thick wall was one of the largest bells in Vietnam at that time. Not only has historical, cultural, and architectural significance, Co Le Pagoda is also a revolutionary relic.

Co Le Pagoda, whose name is Than Quang Tu, is one of the famous landscapes and a special national historical-cultural relic of the Red River Delta, located in Co Le town, Truc district. Ninh, Nam Dinh province. The pagoda was built in the 12th century, under the reign of King Ly Than Tong, to worship Buddha and the holy patriarch Nguyen Minh Khong. With unique architecture, Co Le Pagoda carries with it the solemnity and magnificence of a thousand-year-old ancient pagoda.

Previously, the pagoda was built of wood according to classical architecture, but after many decades the pagoda became very degraded. In 1902, the first Patriarch Pham Quang Tuyen, the abbot of the pagoda, rebuilt and expanded the architecture according to the "Nhat Thuc castle" model (ie a unified castle cluster/population). .

Notably, Venerable Pham Quang Tuyen built the pagoda without detailed drawings, using only bricks, lime, mortar, molasses, salt, paper and community labor. From these creations, Co Le Pagoda has an interference between traditional Eastern architecture and Western Gothic architectural style.

The pagoda was built on a square plot of land, nearly 10 acres in size (36,000 m2), with a charming mountain and water landscape, surrounded by small rivers and lakes. In front of the pagoda, there is the Cuu Pham Lien Hoa tower built in 1927, designed in the style of 8 sides, 9 floors of 32 m high lotus flowers located on the back of a giant turtle, the turtle's head facing the pagoda. Inside the tower there is a staircase with 98 spiral steps to the top. The tower means "nine worms" meaning nine heavens, a typical concept of Buddhism.

Co Le Pagoda holds a "treasure" named Dai Hong Chung (bell) cast by Venerable Thich The Long in 1936. The bell weighs 9 tons, is 4.2 m high, 2.2 m in diameter, and has thick walls. 8 cm located in the middle of the lake in front of the Main Palace. The mouth of the bell has lotus petal motifs, the body has motifs of flowers, leaves, rivers and some texts in Confucian script. This was one of the largest bells in Vietnam at that time. Dai Hong Chung was cast in the early 19th century. As soon as it was cast, resistance broke out. To prevent sabotage by the enemy, people in the area soaked the bell in the lake. In 1954, the bell was salvaged and has been placed on a stone pedestal for visitors to visit ever since.

The Three Jewels Main Hall of Co Le Pagoda is massive, majestic, 29 m high, the art of the castle is pushed to its peak, built and designed in an architectural style that combines Europe and Asia, between ancient and modern times. needle.

Inside the Three Jewels Throne worships a very large statue of Shakyamuni Buddha, 4 m high, 3.5 m wide, painted in gold and painted on a eucalyptus wood base, sitting in the middle of a lotus in a Zen posture. On both sides of the Buddha Shakyamuni statue are Manjushri Bodhisattva and Samantabhadra Bodhisattva, below is the Three Worlds Buddha, Buddha of 3 times: Past, present and future. The altar to worship the statue of the Holy Patriarch Nguyen Minh Khong resides in the forbidden palace, behind the Shakyamuni Buddha statue. His statue was carved in the 12th century during the Ly Dynasty. Currently, the palace is only opened once a year on the occasion of a political festival to bathe and change into Holy robes.

Not only has historical, cultural, and architectural significance, Co Le Pagoda is also a revolutionary relic. During the resistance war against the French, from here, many monks said goodbye to the "Zen gate" and took up guns to go to war. On February 27, 1947, Venerable Thich The Long chaired a solemn meeting and made a vow for 27 monks to "take off their robes and put on their war jackets to go into battle" to protect their homeland. Among them, Venerable Thich The Long later held the position of Vice President of the Vietnam Buddhist Sangha and Vice Chairman of the 7th National Assembly.

In particular, during the two resistance wars against the French and Americans, Co Le Pagoda was both a meeting place to direct the revolutionary movement of Nam Dinh province and a base to hide cadres, guerrillas and main soldiers of the Division. 320, Company 91 of the province, Company 75 of Truc Ninh district.

Prime Minister Pham Van Dong's car presented to Venerable Thich The Long.

Co Le Pagoda was ranked by the Ministry of Culture as an architectural and artistic relic, a historical and cultural relic, and a national scenic spot in 1988.

Co Le Pagoda Festival takes place from the 13th to 16th of the 9th lunar month every year with many folk games such as Buddha procession, wrestling, human chess playing, truck racing on the river winding around the pagoda... to celebrate recite and worship the Holy Patriarch Nguyen Minh Khong.

Nam Dinh 1441 view

Update day : 28/11/2023