Unique antiques in the seaside village temple

Pho Nghiem Pagoda is also known as Trung Kien Pagoda or Hoang Lao Pagoda. The pagoda is located on Chua Mountain, Nghi Thiet Commune, Nghi Loc. According to documents and village steles, the pagoda was built in 1690, has undergone many restorations and was ranked as a National Historical and Cultural Relic by the State in 1992.

The pagoda still preserves a number of unique and rare ancient artifacts, including a stone monk statue and a four-sided stone stele that dates back to the time the pagoda was built. In the main hall, there is a stone slab over 1 meter high, shaped like a monk wearing a cassock, commonly known as the Quan The Am stone monk statue. In the photo: The stone monk statue viewed from the left

The square pedestal has two levels and a lotus platform carved on top.

In the temple grounds, on the other sideOn the left side of the pagoda, there is still an ancient four-sided stele, which has long been protected by a stele tower built of thin bricks.

The stele is about 1.2m high, the body of the stele is a cylindrical stone block, with 4 equal sides with a short side of 0.6m. Each side of the stele corresponds to a direction of nature.

The base of the stele is a 3-level stone block. It is known that in the past, there was a time when the area around the stele base collapsed, creating large holes that people had to cover with bricks and stones.

The top of the stele is a thin stone slab that covers the entire body of the stele. The base, body and top of the stele are all left smooth, with almost no carvings or engravings.

The stele faces the West, facing the pagoda, with four large characters “Hung Phat Thanh Than” engraved on it. All sides of the stele are completely inscribed with Chinese characters. According to the pagoda’s board of trustees, the content of the stele records the achievements of the villagers who built temples, pagodas, shrines, expanded the land, trained and improved their professions, those who passed exams, rituals to worship the gods, village conventions, etc.

The precious thing is that after hundreds of years, the Chinese characters on the stele are still intact and sharp.

The four-sided stone stele at Pho Nghiem Pagoda is considered by researchers to be a unique and rare stele in Nghe An with many historical and cultural values...