About 80km from the center of Hanoi, Dai Bi Pagoda – an ancient temple with its own special value and beauty, is located on a historical and cultural land known to the whole country.
The place of “water condensate painting”
Dai Bi Pagoda is located at the confluence of Bach Hac River, near Viet Tri Bridge (Viet Tri city, Phu Tho province). This is considered the place where “Son Chau water gathers” when the Lo River, Da River and Thao River converge, forming a large Red River. A vast river with undulating mountains towards Nghia Linh – a 175-meter high mountain, looks like a big dragon facing south.
The book Hung Vuong, the jade family of the eight generations, was written in the Hong Duc period (1470 – 1497) with records of the founding of the capital of Kinh Duong Vuong (the grandfather of the first Hung Vuong, belonging to the Shen Nong lineage, which was originally founded by the emperor). worshiped as the ancestor of the Bach Viet people) as follows: “Thousands of mountains and ten thousand rivers all pay homage to Nghia Linh mountain. Here, it is possible to attract the mountains and rivers, it is a very beautiful area in Phong Chau, so the king set up the main hall on Nghia Linh mountain.
At that time, the king often went out to live, established the capital in Phong Chau, which is now in Viet Tri village, Bach Hac commune, Bach Hac district, and established the country and named it Van Lang. The book Linh Nam Chich Quai, which was compiled during the Tran Dynasty, and the book Du Dia Chi by Nguyen Trai, both write: “In ancient Phong Chau land, there was a large tree called a dandelion tree with luxuriant branches and leaves that could not be covered for thousands of miles. . There were cranes coming and perching, so that place is called Bach Hac land.”
As the site of land transport between the delta and the Northern midlands, Bach Hac junction is considered an important point in military defense, contributing to many glorious feats of his father. According to historical books, Hai Ba Trung was stationed here and Truong Sa sandbank was the place where Hai Ba’s army was trained. In the Tran Dynasty, Chieu Van Vuong Tran Nhat Duat established the Bach Hac line against the Nguyen Mong invaders in the 13th century, after that, he was worshiped at Tam Giang temple next to Dai Bi pagoda today. Standing on the campus of Dai Bi Pagoda, looking to the west, you will see the distant top of Ba Vi mountain (Cha mountain), towards the east you will see the Tam Dao mountain range (Mother mountain).
Cultural and spiritual values
Dai Bi Temple is also known as Tam Giang Pagoda, is located facing the river, looking in the northwest direction, you will see Nghia Linh Mountain – the place to worship the ancestors of Hung Vuong. There are two historical sources about the construction of Dai Bi Pagoda. There is a source that the ancient temple was built by Chieu Van Vuong Tran Nhat Duat and his niece Princess Thien Thuy. But there are also sources that say that the temple was built by General Kieu Cong Han – leader of Phong Chau during the 12th warlord period when he established a base here. Due to the destruction of wars and natural disasters, the ancient pagoda was degraded and gradually lost its traces. The current appearance of the pagoda was created from the great restoration that took place 20 years ago, with the prototype being an ancient Vietnamese temple with eight curved roofs, soaring dragon carvings…
The first highlight when setting foot on the main hall of Dai Bi Pagoda is the entire wooden door facing the river, the wooden reliefs on the roof are embossed with images of Bodhisattvas and Arhats. Stepping into the main hall, the highlight is the hammock door system in front of the elaborately carved and gilded altars. The pillars and crossbeams are vividly carved with motifs of chrysanthemums, lotuses, four spirits and copper couplets, exuding a sacred and perfect beauty. On the top of the hammock door of the central compartment hangs a horizontal plate engraved with the mantra Dai Bi in Sanskrit. Below are 5 statues of Buddha sitting on a lotus in the shape of Tantric Tibetan Buddhism. In addition, in the temple, there are statues of Bodhisattva Lien Hoa Sinh, Bodhisattva Ksitigarbha…
In the yard of Dai Bi Pagoda, there are two symmetrical steles, keeping 6 stone steles “post-god inscriptions” standing on the back of a turtle. The bronze bell was cast by Tran Nhat Duat and advanced after the second great victory over the Yuan Mongols. Princess Thien Thuy – the first daughter of King Tran Thanh Tong was assigned to engrave the song Minh bell Thong Thanh. These are considered valuable historical data to help study many aspects of the economy, culture and society of the Tran Dynasty.
To the left of Dai Bi Pagoda, there is a “giant foot” modeled after the foot of the ancient Giao Chi. According to people in the area, in the past, there were also giant footprints in this area, but they were washed away by water. In 2007, when completing the restoration of the temple, the workers based on the legend, built the footprints with concrete as it is today.
The cluster of temples and pagodas in Tam Giang is more than 1,000m2 wide, recognized by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism as a national historical relic in June 2010. This place has been considered the center of cultural and spiritual activities of the village community for nearly 700 years. Teacher Bui Bach Lien (125 Giai Phong Street, Hanoi) expressed: “I’m used to the noisy life in the city, so coming to Dai Bi Pagoda, I feel like I’m in another world with peaceful silence. On the occasion of the visit with my family, I want to let the children learn about the merits of the ancestors in the founding of the country as well as the cultural traditions of the nation.”
Mr. Nguyen Van Cong (75 years old), Deputy Head of the Management Board of Tam Giang temple – pagoda relic complex said: Every year, thousands of tourists come to visit Tam Giang temple – Dai Bi temple, the largest concentration is during the period. the beginning of the year and the Hung Temple Festival (March 10 of the lunar calendar). “With respect, Bach Hac villagers and tourists from all over the world often come to temples and pagodas to express their aspiration and wish for a peaceful life, with favorable rain and wind, good crops, and national peace.” Mr. Nguyen Van Cong shared.
Source: Collected internet.