Visit Red Pagoda – Hai Phong

History

With deep historical roots, Red Pagoda is the folk name of Linh Tu Do, formerly in Dong Khe commune, An Duong district, Kinh Mon Dao district, Hai Duong. In the olden days, the pagoda was located on a compensation area where dead people drifted in. The post-mortem examination forced the local people to serve and often harassed the villagers.
Therefore, people gave up that alluvial area to Dong Khe, the first commune had many people who passed as mandarins without fear of being judged. The villagers built a small temple in the high hill near the river to worship Buddha, Tathagata bridge. for the souls of the ill-fated.
According to legend, in the year of the Dog (1288), when Hung Dao Vuong came to An Duong area to study the naval battle to destroy the O Ma Nhi fleet, which retreated through Bach Dang gate, a fire team joined the army at Linh Do pagoda to take care of themselves. Food service for the campaign command. The pagoda was originally a quiet place, when the fire team came to close the kitchen, the kitchen burned red. Therefore, there are more folk names to remember the anniversary of Saint Tran’s stay here.
After Tran Hung Dao died, the people built two shrines on both sides of the temple to worship him and his trusted generals, his sons and son-in-law, that is, General Pham Ngu Lao.
The Red Pagoda has been repaired many times with an ever-expanding scale. According to the inscription of the temple, there is still a major repair in the year Dinh Dau – Quy Mao (1717 – 1723), Le Du Tong radio (the stele was created in the 6th year of Bao Thai (1725) and the restoration of Tu Duc year 32 records the repair. name many officials of Hai Phong province, of Hai Duong province to go to the temple).
Until the August Revolution, 1945, Red Pagoda was a beautiful pagoda, many city maps had names on it. During the French colonial period (1946 – 1954) and the war of destruction by the US empire (1964 – 1973), the pagoda was damaged a lot.

Architecture

The pagoda has a unique architecture that has never been seen in the history of Vietnamese temple architecture. The ancient architecture of matchmaking has 3 floors and 20 roofs, the relationship between the Front Street – Middle Street and the Hau Palace has handled two intersecting roofs, creating a harmony between the zones, skillfully linking the zones to create a magnificent and majestic linked block.
The pagoda is divided into three main palaces: Outside is the Front Street, in the middle is the Middle Street, behind is the Palace.
Red Pagoda is 26m high. The decoration inside and on the roof of Tien Duong is designed with a 7-storey tower 5m high, the foot of the tower is 1.2m high, above the tower there is a lotus, in the lotus tower there is a 5m high flagpole,
to hang the flag during the festival season.
In the middle of the street, there are rows of “lemon flowers” stylized as old blue enamel double leaves running along the roof of the pagoda. On each double card there is a symbol of Linh Do Tu.
The harem has two levels of roof, in the middle of the roof is a Bodhi leaf (1.20m high) like a flickering flame, representing the purity and innocence of Buddhism, monks and nuns, and good-hearted Buddhists. rescue, rescue. Around the roof floors, there are double-leafed leaves, made of special materials, in the middle, decorated with many lights around and lit up on great holidays. ;
The main face of the pagoda is made of green stone, the columns are decorated with dragons, bearing bold artistic nuances of the Ly Tran Dynasty.
Outside the main hall on the first floor, there are 4 stone pillars (diameter 50 cm, cap 4.2 m) carved with Long – Phuong, symmetrical on both sides, between the columns are carved stone balustrades “Tung – Truc” – Cuc – Mai” is expressed in the form of a Dragon. The stone pedestal carved with clouds and blooming lotus flowers is built on a giant lotus with the meaning of Lotus Flower of Tibet.

In the early days of spring, the people of the city of red phoenix flowers eagerly come to visit the temple, both to satisfy their worship and pray for a good rain and wind in a spiritual place.