Thach Long Pagoda

Thach Long Pagoda

Thach Long Pagoda (Stone Dragon) is located in Cao Ky commune, Cho Moi district, Bac Kan province. This place is known as "the sacred temple in the cave". The temple contains many beautiful stories and legends. Thach Long Pagoda attracts thousands of visitors from all over to attend the festival and offer incense to pray for blessings and fortune every spring. Many people say that, traveling from North to South, they have never seen a pagoda located in a large, clean and airy cave like Thach Long Pagoda. Buddhist monks and nuns attending the festival can enter the cave to worship Buddha in thousands of people. The story goes that, in the past, people in Vi Huong - Bach Thong commune went down the Cau River to pick up the Shakyamuni Buddha statue to worship in their village, Hoa Son, on top of the Phja Bjooc mountain range. The golden Buddha statue is very heavy, so when going up to Vi Huong, it had to be pulled by a rope. Coming to Bo Mi river in Cao Ky commune today, the array kept spinning and made it impossible to move. It was already dark, that night, the people going to process the statue had to set up a tent to sleep at the Bo Mi garden to continue the next day. The next morning when they woke up, they were panic-stricken and could not see the Buddha. The person going to process the statue had to light a large bunch of incense and pray: "If you want to stay here, I will obey your wishes, but please let me know where you are sitting so that future generations can worship the incense and smoke." Having finished speaking, the bundle of incense and smoke flew to the other side of the river, forever going into the mountains. The person carrying the statue kept following the incense smoke and discovered a beautiful, spacious cave. Shakyamuni Buddha sat at the highest place. Knowing the sacred cave, the villagers built a temple right in this cave. The pagoda is called Thach Long (stone dragon) because the cave is located in a rocky mountain, the cave entrance has the shape of an open dragon's mouth. The pagoda has two main parts. The first part is Thien Pagoda. This pagoda is located high up, with a stone step from the foot of the mountain leading straight up to the cave entrance. The highest compartment worships Shakyamuni Buddha. In the middle space, on the highest pedestal, there is an image worshiping Uncle Ho. The second part of the pagoda is Am Pagoda, the way to Am Pagoda must go around the mountainside. The entrance to Am Pagoda is a bit narrower than Thien Pagoda. The cave's interior is not as wide as Thien Pagoda. It is estimated to be about 6m high, 6m wide and has a deep recess inside. Both Thien Pagoda and Am Pagoda have many heavenly statues depicting Buddhas. In the heart of Thien Pagoda, the cliff divides itself into segments like high and luxurious parasols covering the Buddhas sitting below. Not only does it contain many legends, Thach Long Pagoda is also a historical relic, the pride of the people of Cao Ky commune during the resistance war against the French. During the resistance war against the French colonialists, Uncle Ho came here three times. During the Dien Bien Phu campaign in 1954, the pagoda became a weapons transport station and a secret arsenal of our army. Peace was restored, the pagoda was again worshiped by people like before. Thach Long Pagoda Festival is held on January 7 every year, attracting many tourists from all over, who come to offer incense to pray for luck and happiness for their families and relatives. Thach Long Pagoda is not only a beautiful landscape of Bac Kan, but also a historical relic. This relic has been receiving a lot of attention, protection, and restoration to become an attractive cultural tourist destination of Bac Kan province. Source: Bac Kan Province Electronic Information Portal

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