Bo Da pagoda is located on Phuong Hoang mountain (Bo Da mountain), north of Cau river, in Tien Son commune, Viet Yen district, Bac Giang province. Here, standing on the top of the mountain, you can observe the entire Nhu Nguyet river defense line, which has marked the history of the nation for generations. This is also the place where mountains and waters meet, looking at the river leaning against the mountain, the scenery and space are imbued with legendary colors, just like the ancient poem.
The pagoda was built in the 11th century and was restored and expanded in 1720 under the Le Trung Hung dynasty and later periods. The pagoda has an area of about 51,784m2 divided into three distinct areas. The garden is 31,000m2, the inner temple area is 13,000m2 and the tower garden is 7,784m2. Through the changes of history, Bo Da pagoda still preserves quite intact the traditional architectural features of ancient Vietnam as well as many valuable documents, artifacts and antiques of great value in terms of culture, history, architecture and fine arts. The pagoda worships three religions (Three religions have the same origin): Buddhism, Confucianism, Taoism. It also worships Thach Linh Than Tuong and Truc Lam Tam To. Therefore, the system of Buddha statues in Bo Da pagoda is arranged according to the Lam Te sect, combining indigenous folk beliefs and Taoism.
There is an old proverb: “Nam Huong Tich – Bac Bo Da”. To the south of Thang Long citadel is Huong Tich pagoda, to the north is Bo Da pagoda. private tours in Vietnam. This is one of the most ancient and sacred pagodas in Kinh Bac region.
The relic site of Bo Da Pagoda includes: the ancient pagoda called Bo Da Pagoda (also known as Quan Am Pagoda, or Cao Pagoda), the main pagoda Tu An Tu, Tam Duc Am, Tower Garden and Ao Mieu. In addition, on Bo Da Mountain there is also a temple to worship Duc Thanh Hoa (aka Thach Linh Than Tuong – the person who helped the king fight against foreign invaders).
Bo Pagoda is one of the places that still preserves the original traditional Vietnamese architecture. However, it has a unique and different architecture compared to traditional pagodas in Northern Vietnam with nearly a hundred interconnected rooms built with folk materials: baked bricks, tiles, ceramic urns…, the surrounding walls are made of very unique soil. The walls, gates and some other structures are built entirely of rammed earth in the style of a wall. The entrance to the pagoda is paved with salt stones of different sizes, built according to Nguyen Dynasty architecture in the shape of a bell tower. The special thing here is that many walls are built with urns, creating a very quiet look, close to the countryside in the Northern Delta.
The main pagoda of Tu An Tu, is one of the items of Bo Da Pagoda relic, the pagoda was built during the reign of King Le Hien Tong (1740-1786), Tu An Tu still preserves and keeps intact the ancient architectural features. The pagoda has a unique architecture, different from the traditional pagodas in Northern Vietnam, which is the “inner open, outer closed” architectural style, creating a quiet, deserted, sacred space.
Earthen wall – a unique feature of the pagoda, the earthen wall from the entrance gate and surrounding the inner temple of Tu An pagoda was built in the style of a wall with a height of 1.8-5m, presented from low to high with red gravel soil on Bo Da mountain, on the top of the wall is covered with broken pieces of pottery, jars, pots… of Tho Ha. Over time, the walls have been soaked by rain, turning mossy, adding to the ancient look of the pagoda.
The inner temple area consists of 18 horizontal and vertical buildings connected continuously with a total of nearly 100 rooms. The construction materials are made of baked bricks, tiles, ceramic urns and the surrounding wall system is made of very unique and durable earth. The entrance to the temple is paved with salt stones of different sizes.
The oldest set of Buddhist scriptures carved on fig wood
The pagoda still preserves the “Buddhist Sutra Woodblocks” carved on fig wood, with nearly 2,000 engravings in Chinese, Sanskrit and Nom characters, conveying the values of world Buddhist thought in general and Vietnamese Buddhism in particular. After many centuries, the Buddhist Sutra Woodblocks are still quite intact, not damaged by termites, even though no preservatives were used. The sutras are embossed in Chinese characters to be passed down to future generations.
The largest tower garden in Vietnam, especially the “Bo Da pagoda tower garden” is considered the most beautiful and largest in Vietnam. The tower garden was built according to strict and specific regulations of the Zen sect. With more than 100 towers arranged in rows and layers, where the relics and ashes of more than 2,000 monks and nuns are kept. Legend has it that on full moon days, those who have their eyes opened will see the light rising from the ancient towers.
With its precious cultural values and great spiritual significance, along with the actual quantity, the wooden scriptures of Bo Da Pagoda have been recognized by the World Records Union as “The oldest wooden Buddhist scriptures of the Lam Te Zen sect carved on fig wood in the world”. The tower garden of Bo Da Pagoda is recognized by the Vietnam Record Association as ” The largest tower garden in Vietnam “.
Tam Duc Hermitage was built at the same time as Tu An Pagoda. The monks at the pagoda named the hermitage “Tam Duc” because they wished that the monks here would attain three virtues: Wisdom, Forbearance, and Grace. This is also the place to worship the monk Pham Kim Hung after he passed away.
Cao Pagoda (Quan Am Pagoda, Ong Bo Pagoda, Bo Da Pagoda ). The pagoda worships only the Goddess Quan Am Tong Tu. According to legend, Cao Pagoda was built during the Ly Dynasty (11th century), the pagoda is a very effective place to pray for children. The pagoda wall is made of earth (more than 1m thick). The pagoda is located at the position believed to be the chest of the Phoenix bird, on the Phoenix mountain range.
Ao Mieu, is one of the relics of Bo Da pagoda relic site, located in the center of Ha Lat village. Ao Mieu, also known as Ha Temple, worships the Stone God (Thach Linh Than Tuong) and the Stone Mother. According to legend, this is where Thach Linh Than Tuong was born.
Associated with the relic of Bo Da Pagoda is the Bo Da Pagoda Festival ( also known as Bo Pagoda Festival). The festival is held from the 15th to the 18th of the second lunar month every year in the Bo Da mountain area, Tien Son commune, Viet Yen district, now Viet Yen town, which is the anniversary of the founder of the pagoda. Along with solemn and respectful ceremonies, at the Bo Da Pagoda Festival there are also a number of folk games such as wrestling, cockfighting, bridge snatching, swinging… and bonsai exhibition. Especially in the Bo Da Pagoda Festival, there is also the Viet Yen district Quan Ho singing festival – a healthy cultural playground that has great significance in preserving and promoting a great intangible cultural heritage of the nation. Coming to Bo Da Pagoda Festival, visitors will have the opportunity to visit a scenic area with legends and myths about rocks as well as a very ancient custom of worshiping “Thach linh than tuong” of Bac Giang, feel the beauty of the mountains and rivers on the northern bank of the charming Cau River, see the life of monks practicing in the monastery…
The relic and festival of Bo Da Pagoda deserves to become a destination for tourists to visit, admire the unique cultural values of Bo Da Pagoda and learn about the culture of the North bank of Cau River.
Source: https://privatevietnamtour.com/travel-stories/travel-stories/bo-da-pagoda-in-bac-giang-province.php
