Bach Hao Pagoda

Bach Hao Pagoda

Hao Xa Pagoda or Hao Pagoda (called in Sino-Vietnamese, Bach Hao ancient Zen pagoda), in Hao Xa village, Thanh Xa commune, Thanh Ha district, Hai Duong province; was built during the Ly Dynasty. This pagoda has a charming river landscape, with many unique features of the Red River Delta, and was ranked as a national historical relic in 1993 and 2015; Hao Xa pagoda festival is a national intangible cultural heritage. Hao Xa village, Thanh Xa commune, Thanh Ha district is located on a narrow strip of land along Cua Chua river - a branch of the Huong river. The land of the village resembles the shape of a phoenix with its wings spread. Hao Xa Pagoda is located on the head of a bird with a white plume, so its name is Bach Hao, meaning Bach Hao Pagoda. Local people call it Hao Pagoda for short According to genealogical records, the pagoda was built in 1011 during the reign of King Ly Thai To. At first, people in the area built a pagoda called Hao Pagoda with a scale of three compartments, mainly made of bamboo thatch and covered with palm leaves to worship Buddha. Later, through dynasties, the pagoda was rebuilt and expanded to worship Buddha, King Tran Nhan Tong, village tutelary god and abbots. According to genealogical records and related documents, in the Tran dynasty, in Ha Hao site (in the Later Le dynasty, Ha Hao site was changed to Hao Xa village, in Huong Dai commune, Binh Ha district, Thanh Ha district, Nam Sach district; Since 1956, Hao Xa is a village of Thanh Xa commune, Thanh Ha district) where Mr. Nguyen Danh Doan and Mrs. Pham Thi Phuong gave birth to two sons named Nguyen Danh Nguyen and Nguyen Danh Quang. The two brothers Nguyen and Quang are very good at studying martial arts. Growing up, the two brothers became close friends with Ly Dinh Khue, a classmate and fellow villager. When taking the exam, all three of them passed high and were appointed scholars by the king, specializing in teaching in the palace. When the Mongol invaders brought troops to invade our country, the three men followed King Tran Nhan Tong and Hung Dao Dai Vuong Tran Quoc Tuan to fight the enemy in Pha Lai, Van Kiep. When the enemy was defeated, the king was full of praise. The stone stele also recorded the king's words: "Since the day the war broke out in our country, Tam Cong has diligently cultivated himself day and night to find a way to save the country and the people." On January 6, 1293, Dieu Ngu Dau Da Tran Nhan Tong traveled in early spring and preached scriptures by water. Arriving at Ha Hao site, three lay people organized a boat racing festival with the villagers to welcome the first founder of the Truc Lam Zen sect. Seeing the charming river landscape, the Emperor ordered the pagoda to be rebuilt, expanded, and renamed Bach Hao pagoda. He made a horizontal parallel-panel board, built a lotus-shaped stone altar to worship Buddha, and handed it over to him. The three men stayed to practice at the temple. A few years later, three lay people were summoned by Duc Dieu Ngu to Yen Tu to practice and then "transformed" here one by one. Remembering his father's contributions to helping the people and the country, the King of the Tran Dynasty gave gold and silver to the villagers of Ha Hao to set up a temple and ordained him as a tutelary god, engraved with the great title "General Hao shines". Nguyen Danh Quang was ordained as Pha Lai layperson, Nguyen Danh Nguyen as Pha Ho layperson, Ly Dinh Khue as Pha Te layperson. Three lay people are worshiped at the pagoda and are revered as the first three monks of the pagoda. Every year, on the 4th - 6th day of the first lunar month, Hoa villagers hold ceremonies and festivals (boat racing...) to this day. In the 1540s, during the Mac Dynasty, deputy monk Tran Nhu Thua donated money to rebuild the pagoda with 60 large and small compartments in the style of foreign internal works. Later, due to natural erosion, storms and floods as well as the wars of the Le, Mac and Nguyen dynasties, the pagoda was also repaired, but not much of the ancient architecture was retained. Venerable Thich Gia Hue abbot at the temple from 1954 until his death... In the late 90s and early 2000s, monks, nuns, Zen monks lived at the pagoda, Buddhists and people renovated the pagoda; The bell tower and the Three Jewels of the pagoda were built spaciously. Through time and many wars, up to now, too few unique features and antiques have been retained. The current pagoda includes a 5-compartment front hall, 2-compartment harem, and 3-compartment Ancestral House; The front street is built in the style of stacking lotus lines; The rafters all have carvings of flowers and leaves, with bamboo turning into dragons. At the end of the 19th century, Bai Say insurgents took Hao Pagoda as their base. During the Vietnam - France war, Hao pagoda was the place where the first party cell of Binh Ha commune (formerly Binh Ha district) was established; where the launching ceremony of the Viet Minh Front in Thanh Ha district was witnessed; base of operations of cadres in some neighboring communes and many revolutionary soldiers; where a number of district agencies stand, where the communication station between the district and Ha Dong area is located and where the resistance war is carried out with the bell tower having to be removed. The temple's abbot, Ngo Van Nhan, admitted to the Communist Party of Vietnam, one of the first party members in Hao village. Source Electronic information portal of Thanh Ha district, Hai Duong province.

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