Phat Tich Pagoda (also known as Van Phuc Pagoda) is located 20km east of Hanoi, located on Lan Kha mountain in Phat Tich commune, Tien Du district, Bac Ninh province. This is one of the temples with a long history with architecture bearing the imprint of the Ly Dynasty.
Panoramic view of Phat Tich Pagoda from above (collected photos)
About Phat Tich Pagoda
Phat Tich Pagoda is located in Phat Tich commune, where the meeting between Indian Buddhism and ancient Vietnamese folk beliefs took place. On that basis, the country’s first Buddhist center was formed (Dau – Luy Lau center). According to ancient documents, Phat Tich Pagoda was built in the fourth year of Thai Binh (1057) with many horizontal and vertical buildings. In 1066, King Ly Thanh Tong ordered a tall tower to be built. After the tower fell, it was revealed in which the statue of Amitabha Buddha made of monolithic green stone was inlaid with gold. In recognition of the miraculous appearance of this statue, the village changed its name to Phat Tich and moved it up the mountainside.
Ancient stone steps of thousands of years (collected photos)
The sacred green stone Buddha statue in the temple (collected photos)
The green stone statue of Amitabha Buddha sitting on a lotus throne is 1.87 m high, a unique sculpture of the country’s fine arts in general and statue sculpting in particular. This is a unique highlight that everyone remembers when talking about Phat Tich Pagoda.
Currently, Phat Tich Pagoda has 7 front halls used to welcome guests, 5 compartments to worship Buddha, Amitabha and the three worlds, 8 rooms of the Patriarch’s house and 7 rooms of the Mother Church. Phat Tich Pagoda in Bac Ninh has the architecture of the Ly dynasty, shown through three canvas steps on the mountainside with a steep stone embankment like a wall 58m long, 3-5m high, in the middle of the wall is a stone walkway. 5m wide with 80 steps.
The Temple of Fairy God worships Tran Ngoc Am (collected photos)
The pagoda is built in the style of foreign affairs, the first step is the yard of Phat Tich pagoda in Bac Ninh with a garden of peonies transmitting the love story in the legend “Tu Thuc met the fairy”. On the right is the Fairy God Temple to worship Tran Ngoc Am. In front of the temple, there is a Linh Quang tower built in Chinh Hoa XX year (1699).
The second foundation of Phat Tich Pagoda in Bac Ninh is home to ancient architecture that can no longer be seen today. When digging into the foundation of this temple, archaeologists have found many sculptural relics of the Ly Dynasty and the foundation of a square brick tower, each side 8.5 m long.
The third highest platform, Long Tri (Dragon Pond) is a rectangular pond, which has dried up.
The green stone statue of Amitabha Buddha sitting on a 27m high lotus is located on the top of the mountain (photo collection)
In addition, Phat Tich Pagoda is also famous for a very monumental and majestic work that is the 27m high Amitabha statue located on the top of the mountain. This is a version inspired by the Amitabha Buddha statue in the temple, built on the occasion of the 1000th anniversary of Thang Long – Hanoi. The statue is considered one of the largest stone statues in Southeast Asia with many elaborate and sophisticated carvings.
Pho Quang tower is more than 5m high at Phat Tich Pagoda (photo collection)
Behind the ground floor, there are 32 stupas built of brick and stone, where the relics of the monks used to be abbots are stored here, most of which were built in the 17th century. The largest tower is Pho Quang Tower, 5.10 high. m includes the base, the altar, the two tiers of frills and the roof with a rounded top.
Festival
Peony Festival is one of the festivals taking place on a large scale, the earliest in Bac Ninh province, existing and developing over thousands of years according to the Phat Tich temple along with the touching love story of Tu Thuc meeting the fairy. .
Phat Tich Pagoda Festival is visited by a large number of tourists from all over the world every year (collected photos)
Phat Tich Pagoda Festival is usually held in three days, from the 3rd to the 5th of the Lunar New Year every year, in which the main day of the festival is the 4th. From the opening day of the festival (the 3rd day of the Lunar New Year), a large number of tourists have gathered. Go to Phat Tich temple to worship Buddha and pray for peace. Tens of thousands of people present here have made the entrances to the pagoda, bell tower, and the Great Buddha and Amitabha statue packed.
Source: Collected internet.