Bao Quoc Pagoda national relic on fire

Speaking to Van Hoa , Mr. Nguyen Anh Tuan, Deputy Director of the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism of Hung Yen, said that immediately after the fire broke out, the authorities were present at the scene to investigate and grasp the situation. The Department chaired a meeting with the commune leaders and the police to best protect the relic.

According to the report of the leader of Ngu Thien commune, the fire was discovered by the pagoda at around 4:00 - 4:30. After that, the authorities were informed, and the commune police force was present with the people to put out the fire. After about an hour, the fire was completely extinguished.

The initial damage was determined to be a fire in the Tien Duong house, with the roof collapsing. “Fortunately, the entire Tam Bao building, as well as the interior, especially the system of Buddha statues, hundreds of years old calligraphy, and valuable worship objects, were not affected by the fire and were still intact,” said the Deputy Director of the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism of Hung Yen.

At the meeting, the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism requested the authorities of Ngu Thien commune and functional units together with the people to protect the scene of the fire to serve the investigation. At the same time, develop a plan to protect all assets in the pagoda, to avoid loss or theft, especially statues, Buddha statue systems, and valuable worship items.

The Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism will report to Hung Yen province about the incident and focus on protecting the scene, investigating and fixing the problem as well as promptly repairing this Tien Duong house.

Regarding the incident, Chairman of Ngu Thien Commune People's Committee Le Minh Tuan said that 3/5 of Tien Duong house were on fire, authorities are collecting evidence and investigating to clarify the cause of the incident. Initial assessment is that the cause may be due to an electrical short circuit.

Luu Xa Communal House and Bao Quoc Pagoda (formerly in Canh Tan Commune, Hung Ha District, Thai Binh ) are places of worship for the Four Great Kings, including two historical figures: Grand Chancellor Luu Khanh Dam and Grand Preceptor Luu Dieu, who served four kings of the Ly Dynasty. In 1990, Luu Xa Communal House and Bao Quoc Pagoda were recognized as a national historical relic site.

In order to meet the requirements of protecting and promoting the value of relics, the religious needs of the people, with the consensus of the local government, and the contributions of Buddhist followers, in December 2023, the People's Committee of Canh Tan commune started to build a new main hall of Luu Xa communal house and the Mother Temple of Bao Quoc pagoda with a total cost of over 8 billion VND.

Of which, local people contributed over 1.2 billion VND, the rest was contributed by philanthropists and children living far from home. After nearly a year of construction, the project items were completed, ensuring the quality of traditional architecture and fine arts, meeting the spiritual and religious needs of people inside and outside the commune who come here to worship.

Source: https://baovanhoa.vn/van-hoa/di-tich-quoc-gia-chua-bao-quoc-bi-chay-153494.html