Unique ancient statues in a centuries-old temple

Huy Thu• March 23, 2021 16:45

(Baonghean.vn) - Built on the top of Thung Linh in Bac Thanh commune, Yen Thanh district hundreds of years ago, Thuan Hau pagoda still preserves a unique system of ancient statues with cultural, artistic, and historical values...

According to available documents,pagodaThuan Hau was built in the early Le Dynasty, and under King Tu Duc's reign, the pagoda was restored and embellished on a large scale. During the resistance war, the pagoda served as the headquarters of the government, a place to store weapons, a food warehouse, a military base, a medical station, a place to teach... After many ups and downs, the pagoda has now been restored by local people, becoming a place for Buddhists in the area to live and practice. Photo: Huy Thu

InThuan Hau PagodaThe system of unique ancient statues is still preserved, arranged for worship in all three rooms in the main hall. In the photo: the worship room on the right of the main hall (from inside looking out), behind is the statue of Bodhisattva Samantabhadra, in front is an ancient statue. Photo: Huy Thu

The most unique amongancient statuesThis is a statue of Buddha's birth, about 1 meter high, with four main parts intact: the pedestal, the neck, the body of the Buddha and the nine dragons. The statue has an ancient beauty, tinged with time. Photo: Huy Thu

Each part of the statue can be disassembled, making it very convenient for cleaning and storage. In the photo: A Buddhist at Thuan Hau Pagoda is cleaning the Buddha's birth statue. Photo: Huy Thu

In the Buddhist concept, whenBuddhaWhen Buddha was born, there were 9 dragons spraying fragrant water to bathe him, so the image of Buddha's birthday is often associated with a circle of nine dragons surrounding it, which has many meanings. The circle of nine dragons surrounding the Buddha's birthday statue at Thuan Hau pagoda is carved quite elaborately with many dragon images connected together, including a dragon head protruding forward. The statue of Buddha's birthday stands on a lotus throne, one hand pointing to the sky and the other pointing to the ground. The gold plating on the outside has peeled off, revealing a sparkling black color. Photo: Huy Thu

The square pedestal with four sides is elaborately crafted with many dragons and traditional patterns, painted with gold. Normally, on the altar in the main hall, the Buddha's birth statue is not attached to the pedestal and the nine-dragon ring. Photo: Huy Thu

Mr. Nguyen Xuan Hong - Head of the Board of Trustees of Thuan Hau Pagoda said: During the years when the pagoda was dismantled and damaged, the ancient statues of Thuan Hau Pagoda were brought back by local people to worship at Hau communal house in front of the pagoda. Recently, when the pagoda was restored, people brought the ancient statues back to the pagoda. Therefore, some ancient statues were lost and damaged. Fortunately, the Buddha's birth statue is still intact. Photo: Huy Thu

In addition to the Buddha's birthday statue, Thuan Hau Pagoda also worships many other ancient statues, such as Buddha, Bodhisattva, great donor... The meditating Buddha statue on the lotus throne in Thuan Hau Pagoda is relatively large in size with a rather massive lotus throne and is painted in 3 main colors: red, yellow, black. Photo: Huy Thu

At Thuan Hau Pagoda, there is still an ancient statue believed to be the statue of Visakha - a great female donor during the time of Buddha. She was the one who wholeheartedly supported Buddha during his religious practice. Legend has it that she lived to be 120 years old. This is a rare statue in Nghe An. Photo: Huy Thu

All the ancient statues at Thuan Hau Pagoda are made of wood, painted with gold. After hundreds of years, they still retain their original color. Some statues have cracks, fissures, and peeling paint. In the photo: Statues of Buddhists and monks are carved in a meditative style with a calm, realistic demeanor. Photo: Huy Thu

In addition, the pagoda also worships a number of mirror stands and reliefs of Buddha, the most typical of which is the relief of Buddha's birth standing on a lotus throne with a stylized nine-dragon ring... During the process of restoring and embellishing Thuan Hau pagoda, Buddhists here are always conscious of preserving, protecting, and considering ancient statues as valuable artifacts of the pagoda. Photo: Huy Thu