Phuoc Kien Pagoda

Among the many famous pagodas in Dong Thap province with ancient architecture and beautiful scenery, Phuoc Kien pagoda is not a beautiful pagoda but is still visited by many tourists and Buddhists because it owns a very beautiful lotus pond. special. When mentioning the lotus flower, people often think of its noble, delicate and fragile beauty. But the lotus flower in Phuoc Kien pagoda in Dong Thap is famous for its giant size, able to "carry" people while only slightly disturbing the water surface. If you have the opportunity to travel to Dong Thap, don't miss the opportunity to see this king lotus leaf. To get to the pagoda, you follow Highway 80, pass Nha Man market, turn left, go along the riverside, ask people about the wooden bridge to get to La Sen pagoda or Phuoc Kien pagoda. Phuoc Kien Pagoda is located in Hoa Tan commune, Chau Thanh district, Dong Thap province, established before the reign of King Thieu Tri. According to abbot Thich Hue Tu, in the past the pagoda was very large and majestic, possessing a spacious, pure and cool space. Phuoc Kien Tu was also a base for revolutionary activities. However, unfortunately in 1966, war bombs completely collapsed the temple. After 1975, the pagoda was rebuilt with a simple, uncomplicated architecture including: entrance gate, Guanyin worshiping tower and main hall. Bomb craters are used by monks in the temple as lotus ponds. It covers the traces of war and has a place for tourists to visit. In the lotus pond there is a strange and rare lotus species not only found in Vietnam but also in Southeast Asian countries. The lotus pond at Phuoc Kien Pagoda has a square shape symbolizing the earth, and the lotus leaf has a round shape symbolizing heaven. Huge lotus leaves, as big as stilts, with a curved rim nearly an inch wide, look very beautiful. If you don't see it with your own eyes, you will definitely doubt that this is just a lotus leaf made of plastic or that underneath the leaf there is steel support. It is known that this lotus species appeared in the temple's pond in 1992 and has existed until now. No one knows their exact name, so people often call them by many different names. Some people call it the king's lotus, sometimes it is called the lotus king, other times it is called the lotus, etc. Because of the strange lotus species, people often call the pagoda by the popular name "Lotus King Pagoda" or "Lotus Leaf Pagoda"... Research shows that this type of lotus originates from the Amazon region, its scientific name is Victoria regia. Lotus leaves are large, thick and have many thorns. This characteristic helps the tree adapt to its living environment and avoid attacks from underwater animals. King lotus leaves are special in that they can shrink with the seasons. In the dry season, the leaves are only about 1 meter long, but in the wet season, the leaves are large with a diameter of 3 to 4 meters. The edges of the leaves are about 3 to 5cm above the water surface, their shape resembles the strappy hats of Quan Ho village girls. During the flood season, large lotus leaves can easily hold a person weighing 70 - 80 pounds without only slightly shaking the water surface. In the dry season, lotus leaves are only about 1 - 1.5 meters long. Some people compare the giant lotus leaf to the strappy hats of Northern girls. The upper surface of the leaf is smooth and light green, while the lower surface is thorny and has many large veins, divided into squares that are light red when young and gradually darken as the leaf ages. The floating water season from September to October is the most suitable time for you to see the "king lotus". Because at that time, lotus leaves appeared many, large, thick, covering the entire pond surface. Because lotus leaves are very brittle and easily torn, if you want to stand up, you must first place a thin tin tray on top, then step slowly into the center. Tourists can visit the lotus pond for free, but to sit on it is free. When taking pictures of the lotus leaf, there are people living nearby who provide the service, put a wooden board on the leaf, and then take pictures. Interspersed with countless giant lotus leaves on the water surface are pure white lotus flowers blooming, dotted here and there are a few dark pink lotus flowers that are gradually withering. Lotus flowers bloom for 3 days and bloom twice a day, changing color continuously. The flowers bloom for the first time around 6 pm, radiating a fragrant scent until 12 am the next morning, then begin to close. At about 3 o'clock the flowers bloom again, and at about 4 - 5 p.m. they close their petals. From the initial pink-white color, each time the flower blooms it will get a little darker until it fades to a dark purple color. Not only famous for this special lotus species, Phuoc Kien Pagoda also attracts tourists with the remaining story about the magical turtle and magical crane. In 1948, someone brought a turtle to the temple. This turtle spent all day hanging around the monk who listened to the Buddha's chanting. In 1966, the devastating war left the pagoda devastated and the turtle was captured, but then crawled back to the pagoda on its own. In 1999, a crane appeared in the temple and it often perched on the turtle's back, but later, there was an idea to capture the crane and return it to the conservation area. From then on, people no longer saw the crane, the crane flew away, and the turtle also passed away. The abbot embalmed the turtle's body and wore a rosary around his neck, placing it in a glass cage in the temple.

Dong Thap 1096 view September to October

Ngày cập nhật : 01/04/2023