Is Ba Danh Pagoda as deserted as rumored?

Ba Danh Pagoda is a complex of interconnected architecture including the worshiping house, the upper hall, the middle hall, the Mother Goddess shrine, the Ancestor house... This Mahayana Buddhist pagoda has its own unique features.

The gate has 3 compartments, 2 floors, the upper part is the bell tower, the lower part is the simple patterned wooden door system. However, this gate is only open when the pagoda has a grand ceremony, so visitors have to go through 2 small gates on both sides with curved tiled roofs like a crescent moon. Ba Danh Pagoda Festival is held from 9-11/2 lunar calendar every year. In addition to traditional rituals, the pagoda also organizes peace praying ceremonies, palanquin processions and folk games such as: cockfighting, tug of war, rowing boats, human chess.

According to legend, in the 7th century, this was a small temple worshiping the four Dharma (Phap Van, Phap Vu, Phap Loi, Phap Dien). During the reign of Le Huy Tong (1675 - 1750), the pagoda was built larger and more beautiful.

Stone steles and ancient bells from the construction of Ba Danh Pagoda are still preserved today.

The Central Hall of Ba Danh Pagoda consists of 5 rooms adjacent to the Worship Hall, with both ends closed and roofed with blue tiles. In front of the Central Hall, there are screens and sturdy wooden bars.

Nguyen Hai Long - a student at the University of Construction, along with his classmates, went to the temple, visited, worshiped Buddha and learned why there is a saying "as empty as Ba Danh temple".

In front of Ba Danh Pagoda is the Day River flowing through. Every weekend, many tourists come here to worship and sightsee.

Ms. Nguyen Ngoc Xuan Trang ( Hanoi ) feels that the pagoda is very beautiful and quiet, so she comes every month to offer flowers and worship Buddha.

There are many explanations for the origin of the saying “as deserted as Ba Danh Pagoda”, but according to many people, it is because the pagoda is located in a secluded location, far from residential areas, surrounded by rivers on three sides, dense forests, a single path, and many wild animals, so few people dare to enter. The only way to be safe is for visitors to row a boat across the Day River. But this is too inconvenient, so the number of pilgrims is very sparse.

Ba Danh Pagoda covers an area of about 10 hectares and is considered one of the most beautiful and ancient pagodas in Ha Nam in particular and the North in general. In 2007, the People's Committee of Ha Nam province coordinated with the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism to invest nearly 20 billion VND to renovate and upgrade Ba Danh Pagoda.

Ba Danh Pagoda opens from 6am to 8am daily, ticket price is 10,000 VND/person, children under 6 years old are free.

Regarding the name of Ba Danh Pagoda, according to local legend, the pagoda worships a sacred goddess who oversees the rain and wind, helps people prevent floods, brings favorable weather and bountiful crops, so it is called Duc Ba Lang Danh Pagoda, or Ba Danh Pagoda for short, as its name is today.

In 1994, Ba Danh Pagoda was granted the National Historical Relic status by the Ministry of Culture and Information (now the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism). In 2007, the People's Committee of Ha Nam province coordinated with the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism to invest nearly 20 billion VND to renovate and upgrade Ba Danh Pagoda.

Vietnamnet.vn

Source: https://vietnamnet.vn/chua-ba-danh-co-vang-nhu-loi-don-2370540.html