Hai Phong: Preserving and promoting the value of the National Treasure: Hundred-room Pagoda Woodblocks

On October 31, at the National Monument of Tram Gian Pagoda, the Party Committee - People's Council, People's Committee, and Fatherland Front Committee of An Phu Commune ( Hai Phong City) held a ceremony to announce the Prime Minister's Decision to recognize the Tram Gian Pagoda Woodblocks as a National Treasure.

The woodblocks of Tram Gian Pagoda, currently kept at Tram Gian Pagoda, An Phu Commune (Hai Phong), were recognized as a National Treasure in Decision No. 73/QD-TTg dated January 18, 2024 of the Prime Minister .

The woodblocks of Tram Gian Pagoda currently have 864 woodblocks with many types of texts such as: sutras, books, laws, treatises and various types of petitions, plaques, six-leaf boards, charms... belonging to nearly 26 sutras, the main books were produced in many batches in different time periods, but were basically carved during the Nguyen Dynasty and a few were carved during the Le Dynasty (17th-18th century). Of which, the earliest woodblock was carved during the reign of King Le Canh Hung (1750).

Tram Gian Pagoda is a large Buddhist training center, the abbots have built an important system of books, although many have been lost, many valuable woodblocks still remain relatively intact. Therefore, the woodblocks of Tram Gian Pagoda are the only collection of a number of Buddhist scriptures/books/precepts according to the Lam Te Zen sect of Bo Da-Yen Ninh, so they are unique, found nowhere else, and if lost, it will be difficult to replace, because the woodblock carving profession has almost been lost.

The woodblocks of Tram Gian Pagoda are recognized as a National Treasure. (Photo: Manh Tu/ VNA)

The woodblocks of Tram Gian Pagoda are antiques created hundreds of years ago. The artifacts were created by craftsmen in Thanh Lieu and Lieu Trang villages (old Hai Duong city) with sophisticated techniques. All stages in the woodblock making process were very elaborate, meticulous, and time-consuming.

The writing on the woodblocks is Chinese, Nom or both Chinese and Nom, Sanskrit, seal script, and the letters are engraved upside down so that when printed on paper they will appear upright. Therefore, the engraver must be a multi-talented person: good at Chinese/Nom, have skillful hands, a keen eye, a persistent and patient nature, and a high level of aesthetic ability to create these woodblocks.

In addition to the woodblocks with engraved letters, some woodblocks of Tram Gian Pagoda also have decorative carvings of Buddhist themes. The decorative themes on the woodblocks are mainly lotus motifs, charms, Buddha, dragons, phoenixes, unique flowers and leaves with beautiful decorative lines and harmonious compositions, so each woodblock is considered a complete wood carving with high artistic and aesthetic value and a unique form of expression.

Through the documents, we can see the continuous expansion and development of Tram Gian Pagoda in general, and the preservation of Han Nom wooden blocks of Buddhist scriptures made by the pagoda in particular, always associated with the attention and contributions of the people. The identities of hundreds of individuals, families and clans in all villages, communes and pagodas in the region are still preserved on the "Phuong danh" woodblocks; in the Buddhist scriptures.

This is very meaningful when studying the spiritual and cultural life of the Vietnamese people, the history of village names, the genealogy of families in the entire Red River Delta as well as the history of currency. In particular, the woodblocks of Tram Gian Pagoda have great value in terms of humanity, educating people to do good and avoid evil, live responsibly, and live well with people around them.

Through the basic values of the woodblocks of the Hundred-room Pagoda, it can be seen that this is one of the rare artifacts of the country, containing great value. The Buddhist scripture woodblocks in the Hundred-room Pagoda have in fact become a treasure honoring the prosperity of Buddhism, it has both religious value and extremely unique educational, aesthetic, linguistic and historical values.

These values have both shapes, patterns, and engraved writings for us to directly admire visually. However, besides that, this woodblock repository also has invisible values that we cannot directly receive, but must look at it from the inside. The invisible existence of the woodblock repository has greatly impacted the existence and development of Buddhism and Buddhist culture in our country.

It can be affirmed that the collection of woodblocks and Han Nom books at Tram Gian Pagoda are great works containing the core content of Vietnamese humanistic thought. This is also a rich and multi-disciplinary source of documentary heritage that helps researchers understand the development basis of Lam Te Zen, the history of Vietnamese Buddhism, cultural education, literature, linguistics, environmental ecology, spirituality, the history of woodblock printing, traditional wood carving art and other fields belonging to Vietnamese social sciences.

Presenting the Prime Minister's Decision recognizing the woodblocks of Tram Gian Pagoda as a National Treasure. (Photo: Manh Tu/VNA)

According to Vice Chairman of Hai Phong City People's Committee Nguyen Minh Hung, with the historical, architectural, artistic and antique values of the relic, in 1990, Tram Gian Pagoda was ranked as a National Monument.

To preserve and promote the precious values of the Hundred-Compartment Pagoda Woodblocks, Mr. Nguyen Minh Hung requested the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism to direct specialized agencies to guide and coordinate with the People's Committee of An Phu commune to manage, protect, preserve and promote the value of the relic, including the National Treasure of the Hundred-Compartment Pagoda Woodblocks, strictly complying with the provisions of relevant laws and in accordance with the actual conditions of the locality.

The Executive Board of the City Buddhist Sangha and the abbot of Tram Gian Pagoda actively propagate to dignitaries, monks and nuns about the value of National Treasures as well as relics and tourist attractions, coordinate and accompany the Relic Management Board according to the instructions of the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism./.

(Vietnam+)

Source: https://www.vietnamplus.vn/hai-phong-gin-giu-va-phat-huy-gia-tri-bao-vat-quoc-gia-moc-ban-chua-tram-gian-post1074097.vnp