Who is going to Keo Pagoda...

(HNMCT) - After nearly 400 years of existence, Keo Pagoda is still an almost intact Buddhist structure with unique architecture. This is a precious heritage, the pride of the people of Thai Binh rice fields and a pilgrimage site not to be missed in the spiritual tourism journey of the Red River Delta.

Keo Pagoda preserves its ancient architecture almost intact.

Ancient architectural masterpiece

Keo Pagoda, whose Chinese name is Than Quang Tu, is located in Duy Nhat commune (Vu Thu district, Thai Binh province), about 15km southwest of Thai Binh city. It is one of the most beautiful pagodas in the North and the whole country.

According to historical records and stele inscriptions preserved at Keo Pagoda, the pagoda was built by Zen master Khong Lo in 1061 on the bank of the Red River, in Giao Thuy village, Ha Thanh prefecture (now Nam Truc and Truc Ninh districts, Nam Dinh province). Initially, the pagoda was named Nghiem Quang Tu, and in 1167 it was changed to Than Quang Tu. Because Giao Thuy village has the Vietnamese name Keo, it is called Keo Pagoda. Zen master Khong Lo was a great master of Vietnamese Buddhism during the Ly Dynasty, was awarded the title of National Master, was also a talented physician and a great poet of the time.

After more than 500 years of existence, in 1611, the Red River dike collapsed, the pagoda was destroyed by flood. Half of Giao Thuy village drifted to the left bank of the Red River, established Dung Nhue village in Thai Binh land and built a new pagoda. The pagoda was built in 1630, and was completed in November of the year Nham Than (1632). At that time, Keo Pagoda consisted of 21 structures with 157 rooms on an area of 58,000 square meters. Through historical changes, today, the pagoda still has 17 structures with 128 rooms, distributed over an area of 2,022 square meters.

Keo Pagoda faces south, with a layout of “inner two public, outer one country” that is not seen in any other construction. The ground plan is arranged symmetrically through a sacred axis with many construction items and many layers of space. From the outside in are the outer gate, lotus pond, inner gate, temple yard, Buddhist temple, Saint’s temple, and finally the bell tower, ancestral house, and men’s house.

The Buddhist temple area has 3 structures: Ho Pagoda, Tube Pagoda and Buddha Hall. All are arranged in the shape of the letter "cong". Here are the statues of Sakyamuni entering Nirvana, the statues of Bodhisattva Quan Am Chuan De, the statues of Bodhisattva Manjushri and Bodhisattva Samantabhadra. The entire Buddhist worship area of Keo Pagoda has nearly 100 statues.

After the Buddha worship area is the Saint worship area - Ly Dynasty National Master Khong Lo. This is an architectural complex consisting of 4 buildings: whip, incense burner, national restoration and upper hall. At the end is the bell tower - a masterpiece of ancient architecture and sculpture, with a 3-storey, 12-roof, 11m high architecture. Notably, the truss structure and the brackets are both load-bearing and decorative. The ancient part is a system of bars decorated with rich motifs such as dragons, clouds, and stylized flowers and leaves.

Keo Pagoda still preserves many ancient artifacts such as a thousand-year-old statue of Zen Master Khong Lo made of agarwood, sets of Buddha statues from the 17th - 18th centuries, a pair of Mac dynasty lampstands, a set of dragon boats, a set of musical instruments, 2 bronze bells, 3 stone steles from the Le dynasty... In particular, the wooden incense table from the Le Trung Hung dynasty has been recognized as a National Treasure.

Unique Keo Pagoda Festival

Every year, Keo Pagoda has two festivals according to the "spring and autumn" tradition. The Spring Festival takes place on the 4th of January and the Autumn Festival takes place from the 13th to the 15th of September. In addition to the Buddha and saint worship rituals, the Spring Festival also includes competitions related to agricultural activities such as duck catching and rice cooking. The rice cooking competition at Keo Pagoda Festival is extremely attractive with the participation of the whole village to pray for a year of favorable weather. The Autumn Festival is the main festival, which is both an agricultural and entertainment festival and has historical significance, including a performance about the life of National Master Khong Lo.

The highlight of the ceremony is the procession of the saint's palanquin, which is organized elaborately and grandly every three years to recreate the journey of Zen Master Khong Lo to the capital to treat the King of the Ly Dynasty and the events depicting his life. Within the framework of the festival, there are many rituals to express respect and remember the merits of the saints and ancestors of the village and commune. Through these rituals, the villagers pray for the saints to bless and protect them for a bountiful harvest and a prosperous life.

At the end of the festival, there is a unique worshiping ceremony that only occurs at Keo Pagoda Festival. The worshiping ceremony is an ancient dance performed by rowing and frog-catching. Besides the rituals, there is a lively festival reflecting the ancient agricultural life of the North in general and Thai Binh in particular, such as rowing, boat procession, duck catching, love singing, tug of war... In addition, there is a performance competition on the topic of six offerings (6 things) including: Incense, lanterns, flowers, tea, fruit, food... attracting many visitors in Thai Binh and neighboring areas.

With its outstanding historical, cultural and architectural values, Keo Pagoda was recognized as a Special National Monument in 2012; Keo Pagoda Festival was listed as a National Intangible Cultural Heritage in 2017.

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