After more than 1,000 years of ups and downs, Dong Ngo Pagoda (Cap Nhat village, Tien Tien commune, Hai Duong city) is one of the oldest pagodas in Hai Duong province. This place used to be a major Buddhist center of the Truc Lam Yen Tu Zen sect.
The campus of Dong Ngo Pagoda is about 1 hectare with open space, facing the main road opposite the village well, in the distance is the Thai Binh river embankment. Inside the pagoda is the place to preserve the Nine-Plate Lotus Tower - one of the three masterpieces of traditional wood carving architecture in Vietnamese Buddhist architecture.
In 2016, the Nine-Piece Lotus Tower was recognized as a national treasure by the Prime Minister. Venerable Thich Thanh Thang, abbot of Dong Ngo Pagoda, said that the Nine-Piece Lotus Tower was located between the main hall and the ancestral house, built by Zen master Chan Nguyen in the spring of the year Nham Than (1692) during the reign of King Le Hy Tong. According to the stele "Kien khai Cuu pham Lien Hoa bi ky" (1692) at the pagoda, the Nine-Piece Tower is over 5m high, with a cross-section of 6 equal sides, and 9 floors symbolizing 9 lotus flowers stacked on top of each other.
Each side of the Nine-Piece Lotus is decorated with three Buddha statues. In the middle is Amitabha Buddha, on both sides are statues of Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva and Mahasthamaprapta Bodhisattva, and on the sides are statues of Amitabha Buddha and Manjushri Bodhisattva, Samantabhadra Bodhisattva, a total of 163 statues. The statues are the size of an arm, crafted from wood, gilded with extremely delicate gold.
The National Treasure Nine-Piece Lotus is a fascinating architectural work. Of the 163 ancient statues on the Nine-Piece Tower, 60 were stolen by thieves, and the current statues were all newly made during restoration.
Coming to Dong Ngo Pagoda, admiring the national treasure with their own eyes, many visitors cannot help but be surprised by the uniqueness and sophistication of the wood carving art. Mr. Nguyen Van Duong (from Thai Binh) shared: "This is the first time I have seen with my own eyes the national treasure, one of the three famous towers in Vietnam. The sophisticated carvings and carvings, and the perfect arrangement of every detail of the tower are very impressive."
