Year of the Dragon, go to Dragon Pagoda to "pray for wealth" and "pray for children"

Located in Van village, Cam Thach commune, Cam Thuy district, Thanh Hoa province, Dragon Pagoda, also known as Long Son Tu, is a long-standing spiritual tourist destination of the people.

swimming pool in the lake picture 1 — Dragon Pagoda was built during the Later Le Dynasty.

Dragon Pagoda was built during the Later Le Dynasty, at the foot of Dragon Mountain because the mountain resembled a flying dragon. Dragon Pagoda is a long-standing spiritual tourist destination.

According to the elders in Van village, Cam Thach commune, during the uprising against the invading Ming army, when Le Loi went to the North, through the mountainous district of Cam Thuy, he saw the scenery of Van village, Cam Thach commune, with mountains like flying dragons, so he immediately ordered his army to set up camp and recruit more soldiers.

Later, Le Loi chose this location as his military base and found caves on Dragon Mountain to store food, forge weapons, and train his army. During his time stationed in the area, Le Loi “fell in love” with Pham Thi Ngoc Bich and took her as his concubine. Later, Le Loi built the Dragon Pagoda at the foot of Dragon Mountain because he saw that the mountain resembled a flying dragon.

swimming pool in the lake picture 2 — The temple has no roof, but a stone roof to protect it from the sun and rain.

Today, on Dragon Mountain, there are still blacksmith caves and buffalo caves; the temple of Mrs. Pham Thi Ngoc Bich is located in Van village, Cam Thach commune. In Dragon Pagoda, there are 2 Fairy wells with clear water that never dry up, people often call them the "pray for children" well and the "pray for wealth" well.

Therefore, people who come to the Dragon Pagoda festival all burn incense to pray for children, or for wealth, fortune... From the two fairy wells, going deeper inside, there is another Fairy cave with rock fields shaped like corn fields, potatoes, rice mills, and snow mountains.

swimming pool in the lake picture 3 — Natural stone slabs in the temple

Above the Fairy Cave, there are two peaches made of white stone and colorful stalactites that are very eye-catching. Therefore, coming to the Dragon Pagoda Festival, in addition to satisfying spiritual needs, visitors also enjoy climbing mountains, visiting the pagoda, and enjoying the beautiful scenery in the Fairy Cave.

With its cultural, historical values and beautiful natural landscape, in 1992, Dragon Pagoda was ranked as a provincial historical relic.

swimming pool with sea view picture 4 — People go to Dragon Pagoda to celebrate the festival and burn incense to pray for good luck. Photo: Archive

Unlike many pagodas in the lowlands, Dragon Pagoda is part of the Muong pagoda system located in a cave, facing dry fields, surrounded by deep forests and mountains.

The Dragon Pagoda is located in the limestone mountains of Van village, which was formerly the center of Muong Pham, whose Chinese name was Thach Lam. This is a large Muong, a cultural area of the Muong Pham people, and was formerly the center of the following Muongs: Muong Tram (Cam Thanh), Muong Pua (Cam Lien), Muong Vam (Cam Luong) and Muong Danh (Cam Binh).

swimming pool with sea view picture 5 — Dragon Pagoda is located in the limestone mountains of Van village.

The path up is made of stone or paved stone, the stone steps are simple. In the temple, there are built pedestals on which Buddha statues are placed for worship. Dragon Temple also has a medium-sized bronze bell, very beautiful.

Dragon Pagoda has many caves such as buffalo cave, salt cave, valley, etc. with wild, natural beauty, creating an attractive and unique landscape for this place.

swimming pool with sea view picture 6 — Entrance to Dragon Temple

The pagoda has no roof but a stone roof to protect it from the sun and rain. According to assessments, Dragon Pagoda is still a pristine cave pagoda. At the foot of the pagoda to the northeast, there is a well with fresh water that is clear and cool all year round. The airy, peaceful space of Dragon Pagoda brings people and visitors a sense of peace and relaxation.

To beautify the spring of Giap Thin 2024, on the days before Tet, the monks and Buddhists of Rong Pagoda have created models and decorated miniature landscapes to bring more joy and warmth to everyone when they come to the pagoda to visit, worship Buddha and ask for luck at the beginning of the year.

The Dragon Pagoda Festival is held annually by local people on the 15th day of the first lunar month to pay homage to Buddha and show gratitude to the heroic Lam Son soldiers and pray for national peace and prosperity, favorable weather, and good crops...

Ha Anh

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