Located in the middle of four mountains, Con Son Pagoda is a very famous spiritual tourist destination in Hai Duong. Not only has spiritual and historical value, but the landscape architecture of this place also makes visitors fall in love.
Hai Duong has long been known as an attractive destination that is the convergence of many unique spiritual architectural works, prominent among them is Con Son Pagoda , a famous spiritual architecture associated with the name of the world cultural celebrity Nguyen Trai. Today, Con Son Pagoda is not only a famous spiritual destination but also one of the most popular tourist attractions.
Con Son Pagoda is a famous destination in Hai Duong. Photo: FB Con Son – Kiep Bac
About Con Son Pagoda – a famous spiritual destination in Hai Duong
Con Son Pagoda, also known as Thien Tu Phuc Tu, is located on Con Son mountain in Chi Linh district of Hai Duong. This famous temple is one of the three major centers of the former Truc Lam Zen sect. The pagoda was ranked as a particularly important national relic by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism in 1994 and is one of the special relics in the Con Son – Kiep Bac mountain relic cluster.
Con Son Pagoda has been ranked as a national relic. Photo: @solue9
Con Son Pagoda was formerly a small temple called Ky Lan, built by monk Phap Loa in the 12th year of Hung Long, ie 1304. In the first year of Khai Huu in 1329, the pagoda was expanded into Con Son Thien Tu. Master Huyen Quang is the abbot. During the Le Dynasty, Con Son pagoda was restored and expanded, now the pagoda has 83 compartments and includes many different works such as Tam Quan, bell tower, drum attic, upper and lower hall, left and right vu… War and time, today Con Son Pagoda is just a small temple nestled under green ancient trees.
In the past, the temple was built very majestically. Photo: FB Con Son – Kiep Bac
Unique architecture of Con Son ancient temple
The architecture of Con Son pagoda is built in the shape of the letter Cong, including 3 main blocks: Tien Duong house, Thuong Dien house and Thien Huong house. The entrance area of the temple gate is paved with bricks and covered with rows of large ancient trees. The gate has two floors with 8 roofs, delicately carved stylized flower and rattan motifs. The Upper Palace area of the temple is a place to worship Buddha, many statues in this area are more than 3 meters high. Most of the Buddha statues in the temple bear the imprint of the Le Dynasty.
Tam Quan Gate of Con Son Pagoda. Photo: vanthanhbtv
Spacious wooden corridor at Con Son pagoda. Photo: My Tour
The temple yard area has an old giant tree more than 600 years old, in addition, this area has tombstones with the words “Thanh Hu Dong”, this is the autograph of King Tran Due Tong when he visited Confucius. Paint. These three characters have a special feature of being written in the Le script, which is now one of the precious relics of the pagoda. The stele is placed on the back of a turtle, this turtle is polished by Buddhists and visitors to the temple still touch it for good luck.
The famous Thanh Hu Dong stele. Photo: phattuvietnam.net
The area behind Con Son Pagoda is when the tomb tower with Dang Minh stupa houses the statue of Huyen Quang, one of the three founders of Truc Lam Zen Monastery and also the abbot of the temple at that time. Master Huyen Quang is the third ancestor of Truc Lam Zen sect, when the late King Tran Minh Tong built the Dang Minh stupa and the day of his death is also the day of the annual Con Son Spring Festival.
Dang Minh stupa, where there is a statue of monk Huyen Quang. Photo: Mytour
The area at the foot of Dang Minh stupa is the Jade Well, a place to visit that attracts many tourists when coming to Con Son Pagoda, on the side of Ky Lan mountain, there is Ban Co Tien and the very famous An Bach Van relic. Con Son stream area is home to Thac Ngoc bridge, one of the destinations once recorded in poetry.
Jade Well, which is considered the eye of the Unicorn. Photo: Mytour
The ancestral house area behind Con Son pagoda is home to two special statues, a man and a woman, facing the Buddha altar. Legend has it that the monks and nuns in the temple did not know whose statue it was and when. During the resistance war against the French, because of fear of the invaders sweeping the monks and nuns and the fact that the teacher had hidden the statue on the mountain, one day there was a huge thunder and lightning, the monks went up the mountain to see the status of the statues, they saw two statues. Covered with soil that had been washed away by the rain, the strip of compassion was revealed to be the statue of famous celebrities Nguyen Trai and Nguyen Thi Lo.
Con Son Pagoda is associated with the famous Nguyen Trai. Photo: @voisocutee
Con Son Pagoda is also the place where the famous Nguyen Trai retired and lived the last days of his life. This place has witnessed the last leg of the famous cultural celebrity and national hero. The scenery in Con Son is also the inspiration that made Nguyen Trai compose many poems in the famous Quoc Am Thi Tap collection.
Notes to know when traveling to Con Son Pagoda
Con Son Pagoda is not only a famous tourist destination but also a historical relic and a spiritual scenic area. Therefore, when traveling here, you need to note a few things to have a smooth journey.
First, wear modest and comfortable clothes, avoid revealing clothes such as short skirts, shorts, tight clothes. It is best to wear knee-length clothes when visiting and sightseeing the temple.
You should dress modestly when visiting Con Son pagoda. Photo: @mariachautrieu_1
Because the terrain is located on the mountain and when visiting the temple, you need to walk a lot, so please wear comfortable shoes, sandals, flat sandals or sports shoes for convenient movement. In addition, to prevent erratic rain and sun, bring a hat, it or an umbrella.
When visiting Con Son pagoda, you should also pay attention to go light, speak quietly because this is a peaceful place, do not eat loudly or make noise and be aware of maintaining hygiene and landscape to always keep the environment clean. The pagoda is green, clean and beautiful.
Be conscious of keeping the temple clean and beautiful. Photo: FB Con Son – Kiep Bac
Con Son Pagoda today has become one of the most famous spiritual spots of Hai Duong, along with Kiep Bac Temple, this place has become an attractive historical and spiritual relic attracting tourists from all over the world. On January 15-22 every year, the Con Son pagoda festival will be held to attract a lot of Buddhists and tourists, visiting the temple and participating in special activities.
Coming to Con Son Pagoda, visitors will enjoy moments of peace and relaxation amidst the fresh green space, watching the beautiful nature as well as admiring the unique ancient pagoda architecture.
Source: Collected internet.