Historical - Cultural Relic of Ba But Pagoda
Located on a lush, high, beautiful spiritual land, in front is the poetic, clear, winding Lam River, behind the pagoda is Hoi Mountain creating a solid position like a protective wall. This is the land where Uy Minh Vuong Ly Nhat Quang once chose to build his headquarters during his time as the Governor of Nghe An. There is a sacred pagoda that has stood the test of time, the pagoda's Chinese name is Tien Tich Tu, which people often call Ba But Pagoda.
Ba But Pagoda is located in Thuong Tho village, Bach Ngoc commune, Do Luong district, Anh Son prefecture, now Lam Son commune, Do Luong district, Nghe An. Originally, Ba But Pagoda had an area of about 10 hectares, including construction items such as: garden, lotus pond, three-door gate, post house, boat house, front hall and upper hall with lush green trees in a quiet setting in a picturesque landscape, but not completely isolated from the outside world.
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Ceremony to receive the certificate of Historical - Cultural relic of Ba But Pagoda. |
After many historical events, harsh natural disasters, and devastating wars, the temple's construction items are no longer as complete as before. Currently, only a few items remain such as the temple garden, temple yard, front hall, and upper hall. In recent years, people have built the Huu Vu house (a guest house located to the west of the temple yard).
The pagoda still preserves many artifacts such as bronze bells, parallel sentences, large characters, inscriptions, inscriptions and many Buddha statues. These are valuable documents and artifacts, especially the ancient statue of Buddha Quan Am. In addition, the front hall and the upper hall are decorated with carvings in each part such as the upper part, the upper part, the lines with many rich and diverse carvings...
According to legend and historical records, when Ly Nhat Quang (the 8th son of King Ly Thai To) was appointed as the Governor of Nghe An, he organized land reclamation, construction and economic development. The Goddess of Mercy at Ba But Pagoda helped Ly Nhat Quang to have many advantages and luck.
During the conquest of the Champa army, Ly Nhat Quang was blessed by the Goddess of Mercy, who helped him win the battle. Legend has it that when Ly Nhat Quang went to fight the Lao Qua army, he was seriously wounded. When he returned to Bach Duong, Thong Thuong Tho (now Lam Son commune), a fairy (in Tien Tich Tu) told him: "Qua Son is a sacred place, you can incarnate there forever".
Listening to the Fairy, he returned to Qua Son and became a monk. The army then built a tomb and a temple in Qua Son. Therefore, every year there is a custom of "welcoming spring" on January 20, carrying Ly Nhat Quang's statue from Qua Son temple to Ba But pagoda for a solemn thanksgiving ceremony. The thanksgiving ceremony is one of the large-scale ceremonies, with dignitaries, people and tourists from everywhere attending in great numbers...
The thanksgiving ceremony at the pagoda takes place every two years on the 20th and 21st of the first lunar month. The thanksgiving ceremony at Ba But Pagoda has its own unique characteristics that have existed for a long time. This is a meaningful cultural activity, an opportunity to review the heroic traditions of our ancestors, and to demonstrate the traditional morality of "When drinking water, remember its source" of the people. In addition, Ba But Pagoda is also a place that witnessed many other important historical events associated with the locality during the two resistance wars.
Every month, on the day of the Buddha's birth, the full moon day, the Buddha's birthday in the spring... Ba But Pagoda attracts a large number of local people and tourists from all over the world. With such historical values and significance, Ba But Pagoda has been recognized by Nghe An Provincial People's Committee as a historical - cultural relic, this is the legal basis for preserving and promoting the value of the relic!
Nguyen Trong Cuong
