It is known that from May 17 to 20, Tam Chuc Pagoda - the largest pagoda in the world in Ba Sao ward, Kim Bang town, will hold activities within the framework of the Vesak 2025 festival. This activity with profound spiritual and cultural significance includes the procession of relics of Buddha Shakyamuni from Quan Su Pagoda (Hanoi) to Tam Chuc Pagoda.
The final destination and the place where the Buddha's relics will be enshrined in reverence is the majestic Tam The Temple, located in the center of Tam Chuc Pagoda. Tam The Temple will become a place where monks, nuns, Buddhists and those with affinity can come to worship and pay homage.
More than 200,000 Buddhists and tourists expected to visit Tam Chuc to worship Buddha's relics will be transported and given free vegetarian meals.
Official information from the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism of Ha Nam province said that the procession of Buddha's relics from Hanoi to Ha Nam was organized solemnly and thoughtfully, going through many different stages, lasting from the first moments of the early morning until the early afternoon of the same day, May 17.
Specifically, starting at 5am, the convoy of specialized vehicles carrying Buddha relics will depart from Quan Su Pagoda, slowly moving through the capital's main roads, heading south, to the Liem Tuyen intersection, in Thanh Liem district, Ha Nam province. This journey is expected to last until about 10am.
On the morning of May 17, at Tam Chuc Pagoda (Ba Sao town, Kim Bang district, Ha Nam province), a procession and enshrinement ceremony of the Buddha Sakyamuni's relics - a national treasure of India - will take place within the framework of activities to celebrate the United Nations Day of Vesak 2025.
Then, from 10:00 to 11:30, the Buddha's relics will continue to be welcomed to the outer Tam Quan gate, the gateway to the serene space of Tam Chuc Pagoda. From 11:30 to 13:00, the solemn procession ceremony will take place around the poetic Tam Chuc lake, before entering the inner Tam Quan, the central and most sacred area of the great pagoda.
Finally, between 13:00 and 14:00, the Buddha's relics will be solemnly brought to the Tam The Temple and officially enshrined there. Immediately after the enshrining ceremony is completed, a prayer ceremony will take place, sutras and mantras will be chanted, and the days of relic worship will begin, marking the beginning of a series of solemn and meaningful spiritual activities at Tam Chuc Pagoda on this occasion.
According to information from the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism of Ha Nam province, the procession of relics from Hanoi to Ha Nam will be organized in many stages, lasting from the morning to the early afternoon of May 17.
Representatives of Tam Chuc Spiritual Tourism Area are pleased to announce that, during the Vesak festival, all visitors and Buddhists who come to worship at the temple will be completely free of boat tickets and electric cars inside the temple. This is a special offer, because the current listed ticket prices for these services range from 250,000 to 480,000 VND/person/trip. To ensure convenient travel for people and delegates on this important occasion, the organizing committee has mobilized a large force of vehicles, estimated at 300 to 400 electric cars, and is ready to use more passenger cars if necessary.
The pagoda will provide about 50,000 free vegetarian meals every day to serve visitors from all over. The organizers expect that during the days of the Buddha relics welcoming event, Tam Chuc Pagoda will welcome a large number of Buddhists and tourists, estimated at 40,000 to 70,000 people per day.
Tam Chuc Pagoda is a famous spiritual site in the Northern region, this place is always crowded, especially during festivals and the beginning of the year.
Not only having the opportunity to admire the sacred relics of Buddha Sakyamuni, those who come to Tam Chuc Pagoda on this occasion can also experience many other meaningful cultural and spiritual activities. Typical of which are the Buddha's birthday celebration taking place on the morning of May 18, the magical and shimmering night of lanterns with prayers for national peace and prosperity, and the pilgrimage on the pure paths of spiritual practice.
The Organizing Committee respectfully announces that, during the entire duration of the festival, Tam Chuc Pagoda will not accept any fees from residents and visitors coming to worship the relics. At the same time, the pagoda will not accept wreaths or offerings, nor will it perform offering rituals at the relics enshrining area, in order to maintain absolute solemnity and purity.
To ensure the security and safety of all visitors and Buddhists who come to worship the relics, the organizers especially recommend that everyone strictly follow the instructions of the organizers and the authorities. Everyone needs to line up in order, maintain order, absolutely do not move across the procession, keep solemn silence and do not take photos or film inside the relics worship area.
The organizers also announced that children under two years old and those wearing inappropriate clothing for the spiritual space will not be allowed to enter the area where the Buddha's relics are enshrined. For the elderly, those with poor health or those with disabilities, the organizers will facilitate by considering priority lanes, showing care and compassion for everyone.
