Photo: Admiring the 9-ton treasure in the middle of the lake at Co Le Pagoda, Nam Dinh

Co Le Pagoda (Co Le town, Truc Ninh district) not only has unique architecture, but also preserves a 9-ton bell in the middle of the lake that has never been rung.

Co Le Pagoda (Co Le town, Truc Ninh district), also known as "Than Quang Tu", is one of the famous scenic spots and a special national historical and cultural relic of the Red River Delta.

The pagoda was built during the Ly Than Ton period (12th century), worshiping Buddha and Saint Nguyen Minh Khong, on a square plot of land, nearly 10 northern acres wide (36,000 m2), with beautiful landscape, surrounded by small rivers and lakes.

In 1902, the First Patriarch Pham Quang Tuyen restored and rebuilt Co Le Pagoda in the new "Nhat Thoc Lau Dai" architecture, on a large scale.

In addition to the unique and sturdy dome architecture, this place also preserves a bell called Dai Hong Chung weighing 9 tons, located in the middle of the lake in front of the main hall.

This is one of the largest bells in Vietnam: 4.2 m high, 2.2 m in diameter, 8 cm thick.

This bell has never been rung once, but folklore has it that when rung, the whole province and some neighboring areas will hear the ringing of this Great Bell.

The mouth of the bell has lotus petal motifs, the body has floral motifs, rivers and some Chinese characters. The people and Buddhists in the area contributed money to cast the bell.

The Nine-Piece Lotus Tower is also the highlight of the overall architecture of Co Le Pagoda with many floors rising gradually into the air.

This tower is 32 m high, has 8 sides, was built in 1927, from 9 lotus floors linked together, meaning "nine layers" which are 9 heavens.

The tower base is placed on the back of a large turtle, its head facing the temple. The turtle is located in the middle of a square lake, with four large artificial mountains at the four corners, with four elephants the size of real elephants. Inside the tower is a staircase of 98 spiral steps to the top.

Legend has it that Buddhists and pilgrims who reach the 98th step of the tower and touch the statue on top of the tower will always have good luck in life.

Laodong.vn