Two ancient Buddhist pagodas in the west of Hanoi – Tay Phuong and Thay –received certificates recognising them as special national relic siteson April 23.
The event coincided with the opening of the twopagodas’ festival, which gather crowds of local residents and touristswho come to worship and to enjoy a range of traditional activities andart performances.
The Tay Phuong Pagoda,located in the outlying district of Thach That, is renowned for itsarchitecture and elaborate carvings typical of the 18th century, notablya collection of more than 70 Buddha wood statues in diverse sizes whichhave been recognised as national treasures.
Among the sculptures, each of which features a distinct posture and facial expression.
Legend has it that the Tay Phuong Pagoda was built along time ago and reconstructed in the 16th and 18th centuries.
Thepagoda includes three separate two-storey buildings, with brickarchitecture featuring long roof arches. Each roof has eight apexes,carved of the four supernatural creatures: dragon, unicorn, tortoise andphoenix, among other subtle patterns.
The ThayTemple, located in Quoc Oai district, was built in the Ly Dynasty 11 thcentury on the foot of the Sai Son mountain.
It houses anational treasure, the trinity statues of the Amitabha Buddha, flankedby two Bodhisattvas representing wisdom and compassion in PurelandBuddhism. The statues are considered the sculptural pinnacle of theflourishing period of Buddhism in Vietnam.
The ancient templealso houses many other valuable artefacts, such as the lotus-shapedstone pedestals which researchers say date back to the Ly or Trandynasties, 11 th -15 th centuries.
Besides traditional religiousrituals, the Thay Temple festival features water puppet shows in a lakein front of the main hall to honour the founder of this art, Zen masterTu Dao Hanh (1072-1116).-VNA
The event coincided with the opening of the twopagodas’ festival, which gather crowds of local residents and touristswho come to worship and to enjoy a range of traditional activities andart performances.
The Tay Phuong Pagoda,located in the outlying district of Thach That, is renowned for itsarchitecture and elaborate carvings typical of the 18th century, notablya collection of more than 70 Buddha wood statues in diverse sizes whichhave been recognised as national treasures.
Among the sculptures, each of which features a distinct posture and facial expression.
Legend has it that the Tay Phuong Pagoda was built along time ago and reconstructed in the 16th and 18th centuries.
Thepagoda includes three separate two-storey buildings, with brickarchitecture featuring long roof arches. Each roof has eight apexes,carved of the four supernatural creatures: dragon, unicorn, tortoise andphoenix, among other subtle patterns.
The ThayTemple, located in Quoc Oai district, was built in the Ly Dynasty 11 thcentury on the foot of the Sai Son mountain.
It houses anational treasure, the trinity statues of the Amitabha Buddha, flankedby two Bodhisattvas representing wisdom and compassion in PurelandBuddhism. The statues are considered the sculptural pinnacle of theflourishing period of Buddhism in Vietnam.
The ancient templealso houses many other valuable artefacts, such as the lotus-shapedstone pedestals which researchers say date back to the Ly or Trandynasties, 11 th -15 th centuries.
Besides traditional religiousrituals, the Thay Temple festival features water puppet shows in a lakein front of the main hall to honour the founder of this art, Zen masterTu Dao Hanh (1072-1116).-VNA
