Phat To Pagoda (Sac Tu Quan Am Ancient Pagoda)

Phat To Pagoda (Sac Tu Quan Am Ancient Pagoda)

Phat To Pagoda is located in Ward 4, Ca Mau city. The pagoda was built in 1840, bearing the ancient architecture of the 19th century. This is the earliest place to propagate Buddhism in Ca Mau. The original name of Phat To Pagoda is due to the long-standing respect of the people of Ca Mau region to the monk who built the pagoda: Venerable Thich Tri Tam. Legend has it that around 1840, Ca Mau area was a reed area. Following the flow of people going to reclaim the land, there was a young man, To Quang Xuan, who went to collect firewood in the forest. When the ax hit the trunk of an ancient Bodhi tree, a tree appeared. The Buddhist scriptures were placed at the base of the tree. From then on, the young man built a shrine to worship Avalokiteśvara while cultivating and taking medicine to treat people on the banks of Quan Lo canal. Legend has it that To Quang Xuan recited the Diamond Sutra to transform wild beasts. People who know the language come in large numbers to ask for medicine and learn religion. Among these disciples, even ferocious tigers also came to learn the Dharma. Currently, that tiger's tower still exists, and the disciples in the temple call it Su Cau's tower. Later, thanks to people's contributions, To Quang Xuan built a simple temple made of leaves. Seeing this, Do Van Vien in the area was jealous and accused him of being a dishonest Taoist. He was arrested by superiors and brought to Saigon (now Ho Chi Minh City) under house arrest. But To Quang Xuan's morality made the mandarins admire him. He was brought back to Hue and ordained as a monk at Kim Chuong Pagoda. Seven days after receiving the precepts, he passed away. The king ordained him as a "monk" and at the same time bestowed brocade and sent people to bring his remains back to Ca Mau. Feeling sorry for him, in 1842, King Thieu Tri (Nguyen Dynasty) decreed that To Quang Xuan be ordained as Venerable Thich Tri Tam, repaired his thatched hermitage next to the old forest and decorated the pagoda with the name " "The Four Avalokitesvara Ancient Temple". Venerable Thich Tri Tam is revered by the people in the area as "Buddha Patriarch", so the pagoda is also called "Buddha Patriarch Pagoda". Phat To Pagoda has been renovated many times, the major restoration was in 1937. However, the original state of the ancient pagoda is still basically maintained. Worship artifacts such as wooden statues, wooden trays, single vases, bronze bells, parallel sentences, ordained orders from the king... are still preserved, proving the development of Buddhism during the period when the Vietnamese people began to make strides. important in the work of reclamation and forming a communal society with the three ethnic groups Kinh, Chinese, and Khmer in the southern land. During the resistance war against America, Buddha Pagoda was a place to hide revolutionary soldiers. On November 24, 2000, Phat To Pagoda was recognized by the Ministry of Culture and Information as a national historical and cultural relic. In addition to the main architecture of the ancient temple, on the right from the temple gate, there is also the office of the Executive Board of the Buddhist Association, Ca Mau Buddhist Intermediate School, and the office of the Special Committee for Nuns. On the left of the main architecture, there is also the free Tue Tinh hall for the poor, the Buddhist Family Assembly Hall, the Sangha house... Every week, Buddhist studies and lectures are held here. Every year, on every major Buddhist festival such as the full moon ceremony in January, Buddha's birthday, Vu Lan... Buddha Pagoda becomes a place for festivals, a large number of monks, nuns, and Buddhists gather to attend. Source: Ca Mau Tourism

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