Thousands of visitors flocked to Phat Tich pagoda in the northernprovince of Bac Ninh for the annual peony festival, one of the popularspring festivals in the Red River Delta.
Phat Tich pagoda,just 25km north-east of the capital, was built in 1057 on a mountaincalled Lan Kha during the reign of King Ly Thanh Tong (1054-72). It wasreduced to ashes by French colonialists in 1948 and only restored in1987.
When excavating the pagoda from 1949-51,archaeologists found many old stone sculptures carved with flowers anddragons, bird goddess statues from the 17th century and a piece engravedwith the head of a fairy. These are now on display at the NationalHistory Museum .
A giant Buddha Amitabha statue wasinstalled outdoor on Lan Kha mountain in 2010. The stone statue is 27mtall and weighs 3,000 tonnes. It was adapted from a similar structurefrom the Ly Dynasty.
Phat Tich Pagoda is associated with thelegend of Tu Thuc Meeting a Fairy. In the old days, there were a lot ofpeonies on Lan Kha Mountain and in the pagoda. One day, a youngwoman visited the pagoda to see the flowers. She carelessly broke abranch from a tree and was fined by the monks. Lucky for her, a localscholar Tu Thuc also visited the pagoda and took off his coat tocompensate for the broken branch. They became friends and often met atthe pagoda. The woman invited Tu Thuc to visit her house. She took himto a peony forest and a cave on the mountainside. Upon entering, he sawan imperial palace with high walls and stone footsteps. She revealedthat she was a fairy and they got married.
Every year,people visit the pagoda to take part in the peony festival, where theyenjoy watching the flowers, listening to quan ho (love duets) and poemrecitations while playing traditional games. The festival usually laststhree days.-VNA
Phat Tich pagoda,just 25km north-east of the capital, was built in 1057 on a mountaincalled Lan Kha during the reign of King Ly Thanh Tong (1054-72). It wasreduced to ashes by French colonialists in 1948 and only restored in1987.
When excavating the pagoda from 1949-51,archaeologists found many old stone sculptures carved with flowers anddragons, bird goddess statues from the 17th century and a piece engravedwith the head of a fairy. These are now on display at the NationalHistory Museum .
A giant Buddha Amitabha statue wasinstalled outdoor on Lan Kha mountain in 2010. The stone statue is 27mtall and weighs 3,000 tonnes. It was adapted from a similar structurefrom the Ly Dynasty.
Phat Tich Pagoda is associated with thelegend of Tu Thuc Meeting a Fairy. In the old days, there were a lot ofpeonies on Lan Kha Mountain and in the pagoda. One day, a youngwoman visited the pagoda to see the flowers. She carelessly broke abranch from a tree and was fined by the monks. Lucky for her, a localscholar Tu Thuc also visited the pagoda and took off his coat tocompensate for the broken branch. They became friends and often met atthe pagoda. The woman invited Tu Thuc to visit her house. She took himto a peony forest and a cave on the mountainside. Upon entering, he sawan imperial palace with high walls and stone footsteps. She revealedthat she was a fairy and they got married.
Every year,people visit the pagoda to take part in the peony festival, where theyenjoy watching the flowers, listening to quan ho (love duets) and poemrecitations while playing traditional games. The festival usually laststhree days.-VNA
