Priceless treasures of an ancient pagoda in Bac Ninh

Being built in the 17th century, But Thap pagoda still preserves many beautiful works, especially, the biggest wood statue of Guan Yin in Vietnam.

Not only famous for their folk songs, Bac Ninh is also famous spiritual tourism in the country with many ancient temples. Besides the Dau and Phat Tich pagodas…, But Thap Pagoda is an indispensable stopover in the early spring tour of many Buddhists and tourists.

But Thap Pagoda is located on the right bank of the Duong River, in But Thap village, Dinh To commune, Thuan Thanh district. From Hanoi, you can cross the Chuong Duong Bridge and go along the river embankment or go straight towards Highway 5, turn left at the Sui T-junction and driver over 10km more to the But Thap pagoda. You can also take the bus 204 to Xuan Lam and get a motorcycle taxi from Xuan Lam to Bu Thap Pagoda.

You will be overwhelmed by the quiet, solemnity beauty of the ancient temple. The entrance to the temple is a brick and stone paved road with areca trees on two sides. In the front yard are two ancient banyan trees with roots hanging from the top to the roots.

The Arhat statues express inner feelings.

The Bodhisattva Avalokitesvara statue.

The complex of architectural works in center of But Thap includes eight buildings, called Tien Duong, Thuong Dien, Cau Da, Tich Thien Am, Trung Duong, Phu THo, Hau Duong and a line of stone towers.

The whole architecture of the temple turns southbound, the traditional direction of Vietnamese people. For Buddhists, the South is the direction of wisdom and enlightenment.

With a unique layout, plus the harmonious combination of materials like brick, wood, stone … tourists will feel like entering the road of bliss with a mild mind.

After several times of restorations, the temple still retains beautiful in architectural and sculptural works. The most striking statue is the Bodhisattva Avalokitesvara with a thousand arms and eyes. This is the largest wood statue of its kind in Vietnam, created by a Truong-family sculptor in 1656.

The statue is 2.35 m high, with 11 heads, 42 big arms and over 900 small arms. There is an eye in each hand. The statue sits on a lotus raised by a dragon rising from the water surface. This is considered the unique masterpiece of Buddhist statues and statue making art, which highlights the Buddhist philosophy.

The two other sculptural works that makes the trio of masterpieces of But Thap are the statues of the Tay Thien Dong Viet Nam and Thi Kinh.

The pagoda also has over 70 statues portraying people of different positions and Arharts with lively faces.

The shrine located behind the Buddha Hall is the home to two unique statues of Queen Trinh Thi Ngoc Truc of the Le Dynasty and Princess Ngoc Duyen.

From the upper house, passing a stone bridge, visitors will see the Cuu Pham Lien Hoa – a 9 -storey wooden tower, with 8 faces, which can spin around an axis, mounted with Buddha statues and carved with folk scenes or Buddhist stories.

There are many interesting and fascinating things in this ancient temple that are waiting for your exploration.

Priceless treasures of an ancient pagoda in Bac Ninh