BUT TAP Pagoda

BUT TAP Pagoda

But Thap Pagoda, the literal name is Ninh Phuc Tu - Known as one of the most beautiful ancient pagodas in the Northern Delta, still preserved relatively intact to this day, far from the capital Hanoi. About 30km from the inner city and 3km from Dau Pagoda. The pagoda is located next to the south bank of Duong River, in But Thap village, Dinh To commune, Thuan Thanh district, Bac Ninh province. The pagoda's ruins date back to the 13th century, and it was built during the reign of King Tran Thanh Tong. Monk Huyen Quang, after passing the exam and then resigning from mandarin, returned to practice here (Book of But Thap Pagoda - Bui Van Tien, also mentioned The abbot of the pagoda during the Tran Dynasty was Zen Master Huyen Quang, the third founder of Truc Lam). Over time, the pagoda has been restored and embellished many times. But the biggest restoration was at the beginning of the 17th century, during the Le - Trinh period. At that time, the abbot of the pagoda was monk Chuyet Chuyet (From 1633-1644), and his disciple, Zen master Minh Hanh (From 1633-1659), restored the entire pagoda on a large scale, with architectural style. "Domestic work, foreign work" and has great meritorious contributions in terms of money and fields from the Queen Mother - Dieu Vien, Trinh Thi Ngoc Truc (Daughter of Thanh King Trinh Trang) and Princess Le Thi Ngoc Duyen Dharma names Dieu Tue and Princess Trinh Thi Ngoc Co (These people were also later built temples, statues were carved and placed in shrines, and worshiped at But Thap Pagoda to this day). This restoration period lasted from 1644 to In 1647, the pagoda was completed and had the literal name "Ninh Phuc Zen Tu". In the early 18th century, But Thap Pagoda was repaired on a larger scale than before. The stele "Ninh Phuc Thien Tu Bi Ky" and "Khanh Luu Bi Ky" built in the year Vinh Thinh 10 (1714) write that "the pagoda was further repaired by officials, did not hesitate to buy thousands of gold to buy only good wood, and was popular with the people. The village contributed and invited workers to build and repair, with a magnificent temple, spacious pagodas, adorned with a world of glass. Compared to before, the pagoda has a separate row of houses behind the Buddha hall, the scale is much larger. In 1876, when King Tu Duc visited here, he saw a giant tower, so it was named But Thap Pagoda from then on. The architectural complex of But Thap Pagoda stands out among the vast rice fields. The pagoda faces south, which is the direction of wisdom and prajna in Buddhist philosophy. The outermost is the three-entrance gate, followed by the 2-storey and 8-roof bell tower. The central area includes 7 rows of houses, all horizontal, running parallel, arranged on a vertical axis - Shinto Street. Inside the inner temple, located between two corridors (each row consists of 26 rooms) are 7 buildings connected from the outside in, including: Tien Duong, Thieu Huong, Thuong Dien, connecting Thuong Dien and Tich Thien Am. The stone bridge spans the lotus pond (The bridge is 4m long and has 3 curved arches. The bridge surface is paved with green stone, on both sides of the bridge there are 12 elaborate and sophisticated stone reliefs of birds, flowers and leaves). Tich Thien Am Building, as the name suggests, means containing good things. In Tich Thien Am, there is a nine-level lotus tower - a wooden tower, 9 floors, 8 sides, 9 lotus petals symbolizing the 9 levels of Buddhist practice. Then comes the Trung house, the worship hall and finally the rear hall, with a total length of more than 100m. Behind the Hau Duong house is a row of stone towers, including the 5-storey, 11m high Ton Duc stone tower, which is where the relics of Zen Master Minh Hanh, the second patriarch of the pagoda, are placed. On the left side of the pagoda is the church of the first patriarch Chuyet Chuyet and the eight-sided Bao Nghiem stone tower, 5 floors 13m high, which is the burial place of Zen master Chuyet Chuyet. On both sides of the outer end, along the front hall, are two stele houses. Each architectural work of this temple is a skillful work of art with decorative motifs made of rich and diverse materials such as stone, wood, and brick. It represents a harmonious combination of architecture and natural environment. Overall, the pagoda is arranged symmetrically and tightly in the central area, but is very naturally open in the surrounding area, so But Thap Pagoda has its own and extremely unique features. In particular, in the system of ancient statues of But Thap Pagoda, there is an ancient treasure, considered unique in Vietnam. That is the Buddha statue "Thousands of hands, thousands of eyes - thousand eyes, thousand hands". The statue is 3.7m high, 2.1m wide, has 11 heads, 46 large arms and 954 small arms of different lengths, expanding and rising like a halo of light. This is considered a masterpiece of Buddha statues and contemporary statuary art. The statue is placed on a dragon lotus throne, with a relaxed, religious posture. The special and unique thing about the pagoda that cannot be found anywhere else in our country is the tall, majestic stone stupa, rising into the blue sky, called Bao Nghiem tower, which stands out in the middle of the area. vast plain. Bao Nghiem Tower is like a giant pen, reaching straight to the deserted sky. The tower is 13.05m high, 5 floors with a top part made of green stone, 5 corners of 5 floors have 5 small bells, around the tower are decorated with vivid and unique patterns. The inside of the tower has a circle with a diameter of 2.29m. The bottom floor of this tower has 13 stone carvings, mainly images of animals. The tower demonstrates the excellent stone grafting and sculpting skills of ancient Vietnamese craftsmen. Behind is the 11m high Ton Duc tower, where the relics of Zen Master Minh Hanh, the second patriarch of the pagoda, are located. The tower was built in the mid-17th century, all four sides of the tower are covered with stone. Recently, inside the tower, people have just found 2 ancient bronze books, written/engraved with Buddhist scriptures. Several centuries have passed, but what remains at But Thap Pagoda shows that this was one of the most influential Buddhist centers in the ancient Kinh Bac region, one of the few pagodas still kept quite intact. complete architectural blocks, altar objects, and ancient statues of our country. Through many historical ups and downs, But Thap Pagoda has always been protected, preserved and embellished more and more beautifully, becoming one of the famous spiritual tourist attractions in the Bac Ninh - Kinh Bac region. Every year, people in the area and tourists from near and far always remember and return to attend the pagoda festival, held on March 24 (Lunar Calendar). But Thap Pagoda Festival takes place amid the joy and reverence of visitors from all over every time they come to the pagoda. With typical values ​​​​of history, culture and art of architecture and sculpture. But Thap Pagoda has been ranked and recognized by the Ministry of Culture and Information as a national cultural relic since April 28, 1962. By 2013, the Prime Minister granted a special national relic status and the Buddha Statue "Thousand Eyes - Thousand Eyes and Thousand Hands" was recognized as a national treasure./. Source: THUAN THANH CULTURAL HERITAGE

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