The ancient temple has a unique design and possesses many 'treasures'

Bo Da Pagoda is officially called Bo Da Mountain Quan Am Pagoda or Bo Da Mountain Quan Am Mountain Temple, abbreviated as Bo Da Pagoda or Tu An Tu. The pagoda is located in a favorable feng shui position, to the north of the foot of Phuong Hoang Mountain in the Bo Da Mountain range, in the distance is the poetic Cau River.

According to the Bac Giang Province Electronic Information Portal, it is said that Bo Da Pagoda dates back to the Ly Dynasty (11th century), and was extensively restored and embellished during the reign of King Le Du Tong (1720-1729) and later periods.

Over the centuries, Bo Da Pagoda has been restored many times, but basically still retains its ancient architecture from earthen walls, tower gardens to traditional wooden architecture with interwoven artistic styles of successive eras, spanning from the 18th century to the present.

Currently, the Bo Da pagoda relic complex includes many large and small constructions, of which the four most prominent items are Cao pagoda, Tam Duc hermitage, Tu An pagoda and the tower garden.

The temple is surrounded by lush green bamboo groves and a system of earthen walls like a solid protective rampart, creating a pure and sacred look for this destination.

Compared to traditional pagodas in the North, Bo Da Pagoda has a more unique and different architecture, designed in the style of "internal communication, external closure".

The pagoda was built with natural materials such as baked bricks, tiles, and ceramic urns. The surrounding walls were made of earth, while the walls, gates, and some other structures were built entirely of rammed earth in the rammed earth style.

Each architectural item in the relic complex is elaborately carved, depicting many rich themes such as cloud patterns, spiral patterns, chrysanthemums, flipped leaves, sacred animals, the four sacred animals, the four seasons, etc.

Many tourists who have made pilgrimages to Bo Da Pagoda commented that the tower garden is one of the most impressive items. There are currently 110 towers and tombs of different sizes, all built of stone, bricks and sealed with lime mortar mixed with molasses and paper pulp.

This is also the resting place of Lam Te Zen monks who practiced at the temple throughout history.

The temple grounds still preserve many stone steles, bronze bells, horizontal lacquered boards and 39 wooden statues from the Le Trung Hung period, bearing great historical and ancient artistic values.

Besides its architectural and aesthetic values, Bo Da Pagoda is also considered a museum of Han Nom heritage in many forms. In particular, it is impossible not to mention the Buddhist scriptures - one of the oldest woodblocks in Vietnam with more than 2,000 woodblocks.

With its unique and typical values ​​on many levels, in 1992, Bo Da Pagoda was recognized as a National Monument. In 2016, the Prime Minister ranked Bo Da Pagoda as a special national historical and architectural relic.

In addition, the myrtle tree and the banyan tree in the garden of Bo Da pagoda were also recognized as Vietnam Heritage Trees by the Vietnam Association for Conservation of Nature and Environment.

In March 2017, Bo Da Festival was included in the list of National Intangible Cultural Heritage by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism. In December 2017, Bo Da Pagoda Woodblocks were recognized as a national treasure.

Every year, the Bo Da Pagoda Festival is held from the 15th to the 18th of the second lunar month, attracting a large number of people and tourists from all over the country to visit and worship, contributing to spreading the historical and cultural values ​​of Bo Da Pagoda and Bac Giang province to friends and tourists at home and abroad./.