Co Le Pagoda is "Than Quang Tu", located on a square ground, nearly 10 hectares wide in the North, with a peaceful space in Co Le commune, Ninh Binh province. With its unique historical - cultural and architectural values, in 1988, Co Le pagoda was ranked as a national architectural and artistic relic.
This is a Buddhist architectural and cultural work built in the 12th century, during the reign of King Ly Than Ton to worship Buddha and Saint Nguyen Minh Khong.
Previously, the pagoda was built of wood. After the transformation of the sun and rain and time, the ancient pagoda was seriously degraded. In 1902, the First Sub- overctor Pham Quang Tuyen returned to the pagoda and restored the pagoda to the new architectural style "Nhat Thoc Lau Dai".
The overall landscape of the pagoda, if viewed from above, will create the word Thien (line) in the word Nho. The rows of houses, lakes, bridges... are combined together to create a harmonious and seamless space.
The biggest highlight in the architectural complex of the pagoda is the 32m high, 8-faced Nine-Pham Lien Hoa Tower, built in 1927, with 9 floors of lotus flowers combined with the wall, meaning "parasite" of 9 floors of the sky. In particular, the entire project is placed on the back of a giant stone turtle with a pillar deep into the lake, the head turning into the main hall.
The tower is placed on the back of a large turtle, the head facing the pagoda. The turtle is lying in the middle of a square lake. In the tower, there are stairs with 98 spiral steps to the top.
Not only has it unique architecture, Co Le pagoda also preserves a bell called Dai Hong Chung weighing 9 tons, located in the middle of the lake in front of the main hall. The bell was cast in 1936, about 4.2m high; the mouth diameter is 2.2m. The bell casting process at that time was completely done by hand, so it required a lot of effort and meticulousness and carefulness when making it.
Coming to Co Le Pagoda, many people were impressed with the unique architecture here, Ms. Ngo Thi Ngoan (from Hung Yen) shared: "The pagoda left an impression on me because the ancient architecture has been preserved for hundreds of years. Coming here, I feel a peaceful and peaceful space".
For generations, the co leo pagoda festival has been held on the occasion of the anniversary of the great-grandfather Nguyen Minh Khong's birth in the middle of the 9th lunar month every year. This is a major festival bearing the mark of Northern folk culture, recognized as a National Intangible Cultural Heritage in 2023.
