Prime location of the temple
The pagoda is located in the Thuan Thanh cultural and historical relic complex that has been ranked by the state at the national level such as: Dau Pagoda in Thanh Khuong commune, But Thap pagoda in Dinh To commune, Kinh Duong Vuong’s mausoleum in Dai Dong Thanh commune, and Dong Ho painting village. Song Ho commune, Temple of the tomb of Si Niep Tam A village, Gia Dong commune. This is the ancient land of Sieu type that converges the spirit of heaven and earth, the roads are all over the place, so it was chosen by the ancients as a holy place to build a temple.
According to some relics left at the temple and research shows that the pagoda was built during the Tran Dynasty, which is famous for being sacred in the area. Over the years, the pagoda was ruined, here the villagers were supported by Mr. Dac Tien, Phu Quoc, General Thai Loc, serving Le Dinh Chat, to build a steeple and restore the Buddha’s temple, build a righteous act. corridor, building incense burning house, repainting Buddha image. Thanks to that, the scale of the pagoda was expanded splendidly and solemnly, and visitors from all over the world eagerly came to worship the Buddha like a festival.
Since then, Linh Ung Pagoda has become the most scenic area in the region. Every year, on the 7th day of the 4th lunar month, the villagers hold a festival to welcome visitors from all over the world. In the mid-twentieth century in 1952, during the resistance war against the French, the pagoda was completely destroyed, leaving only 3 stone statues on the temple floor. Since then, the temple has become derelict and forgotten.
Later, when the South was liberated, the country was unified, and the pagoda was paid attention by the Party and the State. Three ancient statues with precious stones were restored and put into the main room. Ngoc Khanh villagers, with the help of the government and visitors from all over the world, built a Tam Bao building, built the Tam Quan gate, planted trees, paved the wall, making the temple more spacious and perfect. The current temple was rebuilt on the old pagoda in 1986.
Landscape space of Linh Ung pagoda
For any Vietnamese architectural work, the choice of direction and ground position is a very important job, especially for families and pagodas, these are sacred works, so it is carefully considered. especially.
Linh Ung pagoda was built facing the south – one of the two most important directions. If the west direction is believed to be the most stable, because the west direction is in harmony with the operation of yin and yang, so that the gods do not give up their obligations because of the suffering of sentient beings, then the south direction is considered the direction of the emperor. The male saint is the face of the world”. The saint turned his face to the South and listened to the presentation of the world. According to the philosophy of yin and yang, the bright side is full of positivity. Therefore, the Buddha sat facing the South to listen to the cries of sentient beings in the worldly life, in order to use boundless Dharma power, compassion, and equanimity.
In the space of the monument, in addition to choosing the land and choosing the direction, the trees also play a very important role. Plants are likened to “beautiful clothes” adorning the monuments, making them blend with the environment and not separate. On the other hand, plants also seem to emphasize a basic point confirming that the land with the relic is good and suitable for the sacred and healthy land of all species. Moreover, when entering the relic surrounded by plants, the pilgrim’s soul is as fresh, blending into the nature of heaven and earth. With such a meaning, Ngoc Kham Pagoda has planted a lot of perennial trees, fruit trees and ornamental plants. Outside the temple door are three jackfruit trees and a longan tree, two giant trees on both sides and many ornamental trees, although the trunk is not large, its canopy is widespread, rising high as if receiving the essence and vitality from the sky. heaven to protect the souls of pilgrims.
Besides the perennial trees, in the temple yard, there are also ornamental plants to make the surrounding landscape airy and cool; creating a sacred and quiet atmosphere, the harmony between heaven and earth.
Architectural ground structure
Experiencing centuries of history with many ups and downs, in 1986 the temple was rebuilt according to the layout of the word Dinh according to the ancient architecture. The pagoda now includes architectural units such as: Tam Quan, 5 front halls, Upper palace, 3 Model houses, 1 corridor on the right, 3 rooms for the abbot on the left. The system of Buddha statues and worshiping items in the temple is fully valuable.
Entering the relic of Linh Ung pagoda, one can see a sacred space with the majestic Tam Quan building, which was newly rebuilt in 1997. Going deep inside through a small courtyard are the five front halls with four roofs. Then, to the Upper Palace, there are 5 rows of statues with a set of stone three-dimensional statues. Behind the Ancestral House are three rooms of the model house built in modern architecture, so the roof is high and very airy. Around the relic are green trees for shade and contribute to creating a sacred, gentle and estranged atmosphere for visitors to this place.
Thus, the architectural units and the spatial landscape elements of the temple create a harmony that creates a complete layout for the monument.
Recently, in order to avoid visitors from all over the world going directly to the front hall and due to the influence of worshiping the statue of Quan Am Bach Y in front of the doors of Southern temples, according to the Theravada sect, the temple places the statue of Quan Am Bach Y right in front of the temple. Temple yard, so visitors to the temple ceremony all go and from two small roads from the side gate of Tam Quan.
Over eight centuries, Linh Ung Pagoda is one of the relics with a fairly early history of construction on the land of Bac Ninh. Over time, the pagoda’s artistic architecture has changed, no longer keeping many traces. Since its construction, the history of the temple is still an important source of information for us to learn about the existence of Buddhism in this land.