Tran Quoc Pagoda

Tran Quoc Pagoda

Located on an island east of West Lake, Tran Quoc Pagoda has always been considered one of the most famous landscapes in the capital city of Thang Long, now in Tay Ho district. Legend has it that the pagoda was built during the reign of Ly Nam De (541-547) in Yen Hoa village, near the banks of the Red River with the name "Khai Quoc" (meaning opening the country). During the reign of King Ly Nhan Tong, Queen Mother Y Lan went to the pagoda many times to discuss with the monks. During the reign of King Le Thai Tong (1434-1442), the king changed the pagoda's name to An Quoc Pagoda. Every year, the Red River's water level rises and erodes, causing riverbanks to collapse. Therefore, in 1615 during the reign of King Le Kinh Tong, Yen Phu villagers moved the pagoda to the Kim Nguu (Golden Fish) mound, where during the Ly and Tran dynasties, many palaces were built here such as Thuy Hoa palace, Thuy Hoa palace, Pagoda palace. Ham Nguyen serves the king's rest and relaxation. Around the 17th century, Lord Trinh built Co Ngu dike (later called Co Ngu citadel, now Thanh Nien road), so there was a road connecting the dike with Golden Fish island. During the reign of King Le Hy Tong in the Chinh Hoa era (1681-1705), the pagoda was renamed Tran Quoc. The horizontal panel with the words "Tran Quoc Tu" hanging in the current worship hall was made from that time. In 1821, King Minh Mang visited the pagoda and gave 20 taels of silver to repair it. In 1842, King Thieu Tri visited the pagoda, gave a large gold coin and 200 francs, and renamed the pagoda Tran Bac. But the name Tran Quoc Pagoda dates back to the reign of King Le Hy Tong and has been known by people to this day. Due to many restorations and repairs, the pagoda's architecture is an adaptation of the architectural styles of periods such as: In the years 1624, 1628 and 1639 (Lord Trinh's reign), the pagoda was restored and expanded; During the Tay Son period, the pagoda fell into disrepair. At that time, local residents asked to be allowed to repair the pagoda. The largest restoration was in the year of At Hoi, Gia Long 14. In 2010, the renovation was to celebrate the 1000th Anniversary of Thang Long - Hanoi and the 6th World Buddhist Summit held in Vietnam. Nam in November 2010. Like most other temples in our country, the structure and interior of Tran Quoc Pagoda have an arrangement of many layers of houses with three main temples: the front hall, the incense burning house and the upper hall in the shape of the letter Cong. The front hall faces west, on both sides of the incense burning house and the upper palace are two corridors. Behind the upper palace is the bell tower. The pagoda's bell tower is a three-compartment temple with a match-stacked roof, located on the main hall axis. The layout of the bell tower behind the pagoda is similar to the layout at Keo Pagoda (Thai Binh). On the right is the ancestral house and on the left is the stele house. In the temple, there are currently 14 steles kept. The stele engraved in 1815 has an essay by Dr. Pham Quy Thich recording the repair of the pagoda after a long period of ruin. This work began in 1813 and ended in 1815. Behind the pagoda there are a number of ancient tower tombs from the Vinh Huu and Canh Hung dynasties (18th century). The pagoda campus has a six-degree lotus stupa built in 1998. The large stupa has 11 floors and is 15m high. Each floor of the tower has 6 arched doorways, in each of which is placed a precious stone statue of Amitabha Buddha. The top of the tower has a nine-storey lotus platform (called the Nine-Rank Lotus [1]) also made of precious stones. This stupa was built symmetrically with the large Bodhi tree given by the President of India when he visited Hanoi in 1959. Venerable Thich Thanh Nha, Member of the Executive Council of the Vietnam Buddhist Sangha, Abbot of Tran Pagoda Quoc, explained that symmetry as: "The lotus symbolizes the true Buddha nature, like the nature born in the mud without being contaminated. Bodhi is enlightenment, supreme wisdom. All have meanings. the essence and phenomena of dharmas". This ancient pagoda still preserves many valuable artifacts such as the set of worship statues in the upper palace. These are statues that are meticulously crafted, elaborate and have their own unique beauty. Most worth mentioning is the statue of Sakyamuni entering Nirvana which is considered one of the most beautiful Nirvana statues in Vietnam. Based on its architectural, landscape and historical values, in the past, the Institute of the Far East and the Ancients ranked Tran Quoc Pagoda as the 10th historical building in the entire Indochina region. In 1962, the pagoda was recognized at the National level in Decision No. 313VH-VP dated April 28, 1962. In the epitaph "Recreating Tran Quoc Pagoda" composed by Doctor of Ky Hoi Faculty in the 40th year of Canh Hung, Pham Lap Trai, praised: "Standing on high and admiring the pagoda's scenery, the clouds nest in the bottom of the water, the blue-green lake surface makes tourists are excited. The sound of the temple bell calls anyone to wake up from their mundane dreams..." Tran Quoc Pagoda was once praised by foreign tourists as one of the most beautiful religious works in the world. From a distance, it looks like a blooming lotus. Located in the landscape of West Lake, in each season, visitors come here to feel the different beauty of the meditation place. In spring, the pagoda is a highlight in the panorama of sparkling beautiful West Lake scenery. In the summer, cool breezes fill the space, making visitors clearly feel the change in space, as if being cooled by a meditation door. In the fall, when we come to the temple, the sunshine and wind make our minds calm down, thinking about and repenting of the mundane world. In winter, thin mist spreads across the lake, covering the landscape, making the pagoda dark and quiet. [1] Nine levels of lotus flowers - 9 levels of lotus flowers include: Upper level upper level, High level middle level, High level lower level; Upper middle class, middle class middle class, middle class lower birth; The lower class is born in the upper class, the lower class is born in the middle class, and the lower class is born in the lower class. Those are the nine levels of the Western realm of bliss that we dwell in when we fall. The nine-piece lotus flower is a unique Buddhist structure found only in our country. There are currently only 3 rotatable wooden buildings left, with high visual artistic value and the combined meaning of many lines of Buddhist thought. religion, combining Pure Land Buddhism in worshiping Maitreya, Zen Buddhism and Tantric Buddhism in experimenting with ideas whose meanings appear on carved panels... These towers were built in the 19th century. 17,18, at three pagodas: But Thap pagoda (Bac Ninh); Giam Pagoda and Dong Ngo Pagoda (Hai Duong). The nine-piece lotus flower not only carries the message of compassion, altruism, and charity of Buddhism but also represents the development of the Truc Lam Yen Tu Zen sect in our country. Source: Hanoi Department of Tourism

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