The pagoda is called Bo Da Mountain Quan Am Pagoda, also known as Bo Da Mountain Quan Am Mountain Pagoda, or Bo Pagoda for short, or Tu An Pagoda. The pagoda dates back to the Ly Dynasty and was rebuilt under the reign of King Le Du Tong.
And it is also a place that preserves the original traditional ancient Vietnamese architecture, and is quite unique with the "inside open, outside closed" architectural style, creating a quiet, deserted, sacred look, not focusing on grandeur and splendor, but focusing on continuity, openness, and the purity of the Buddhist realm.
Coming here, you can admire the unique earthen wall architecture from the temple gate to the surrounding walls running hundreds of meters long, all made of ancient, quiet brown-yellow earthen walls.
Admire the world's oldest woodblock scriptures, national treasures.
The pagoda still preserves nearly 2,000 wooden blocks of Buddhist scriptures with 18 main sets of scriptures, most of which were carved during the 18th century Le Dynasty and the 19th century Nguyen Dynasty. The earliest wood blocks were carved in 1740 and the latest in the early 20th century.
Typical are the sutras: Lankavatara Sutra, Yết Ma Hội Bản, Nam Hải Ký Quy... Up to now, the woodblocks are still quite intact with nearly 2 thousand engravings in Chinese, Nom, and Sanskrit characters carved on the wood. The large-sized sutra boards are still printed, engraved with notes and scrolls, and used to perform rituals in the temple. The content of the woodblocks reflects the profound philosophical thoughts of Buddhism in general and the Lam Te Zen sect in particular with skillful and sophisticated lines, motifs, and shapes. Outstanding are the carvings of Buddha Tathagata, Buddha Shakyamuni sitting on a lotus pedestal, Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva, and Arhats...
In 2017 and 2018, the Bo Da Pagoda Buddhist woodblocks were honored to be recognized as a "National Treasure" by the Prime Minister and recognized by the World Records Union - Worldkings as "The oldest Buddhist woodblocks in the world".
The current state of the woodblocks' preservation is sketchy, making anyone who visits feel "worried" about whether the precious sutras will be lost or damaged.
The largest tower garden in Vietnam
The relic site of Bo Da pagoda also has a tower garden built according to the strict regulations of the Zen sect with 110 towers arranged in rows and layers, where the relics and ashes of more than 2,000 monks and nuns of Bo Da sect are kept, most of which are ancient towers. In 2016, Bo Da pagoda's tower garden was recognized by the Vietnam Record Association as the largest tower garden in Vietnam.
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Currently, the pagoda attracts many Buddhists and tourists to admire the wooden block sutras - national treasures. The relic site of Bo Da pagoda also owns a system of ancient Buddha statues and many relics and antiques of special value. Each document and artifact has its own value and meaning, reflecting each historical period according to the formation and development of Bo Da Buddhist Center.
Lam Tue(Photo: Various authors)
