Spiritual tourism at Ba Den Mountain

The statue of the Goddess of Mercy on Mount Tây Bổ Đà is located on the mountaintop.

Located about 7km from the center of Tay Ninh City, Mount Ba Den has long been a spiritual tourism destination with its own unique charm. At 986m above sea level, Mount Ba Den is currently known as the "roof of Southern Vietnam." Here, you'll find not only a complex of centuries-old temples but also many unique cultural and artistic works on the mountaintop, attracting millions of pilgrims and worshippers annually. At the center of the temple complex is the shrine of Linh Son Thanh Mau, also known as Ba Den – a goddess believed to bestow blessings and protection, and said to have the ability to warn of misfortune and calamities.

A prominent feature of Ba Den Mountain is the statue of the Goddess of Mercy (Quan Am Bo Da Son) located on the summit. The statue, modeled after Buddhist statues from the Le Dynasty, symbolizes the manifestation of the Bodhisattva of Mercy on this sacred mountain, bringing peace and good fortune to the people and tourists visiting Tay Ninh . The statue has a total height of 72 meters, cast from 170 tons of red copper, and is exquisitely carved. It holds the record for the tallest copper statue of the Goddess of Mercy located on a mountaintop in Asia.

At the foot of the Bodhisattva statue is an exhibition showcasing Buddhist art from around the world , featuring 38 replicas of ancient Buddhist artifacts. Descending underground via an escalator beneath the Bodhisattva statue in West Potala, visitors will discover five gleaming pillars of the Prajnaparamita Sutra. Each pillar is constructed from granite, inscribed with Tibetan script and gilded with shimmering gold.

Another prominent Buddhist landmark here is the colossal Maitreya Buddha statue, crafted from 6,688 natural sandstone blocks inspired by terraced rice fields, situated at an altitude of 900m on the summit of Ba Den Mountain. The statue depicts the Maitreya Buddha seated on a cascading waterfall, his back against the mountain, his eyes gazing towards the rising sun, as if looking towards the future, overlooking the entire Southern Vietnam delta and the vast Dau Tieng Lake. The statue is 36m high, 45m wide at its widest point, has a surface area of 4,651m² ^, weighs 5,112 tons, and wears a rosary of 54 beads. Compared to other large stone Buddha statues in the world, both in height and weight, the Great Maitreya Buddha statue at Ba Den Mountain is the largest sandstone Maitreya Buddha statue in the world.

Besides cultural and spiritual sites, Mount Ba Den also offers many areas for tourists to experience and explore, such as artistic cable car stations, the mountain peak marker, vibrant flower gardens, and performing arts programs.

Text and photos: AI LAM

Source: https://baocantho.com.vn/du-lich-tam-linh-o-nui-ba-den-a186251.html