Khanh Quang Pagoda located in Thien Dong village, Kim Tan commune, Kim Thanh district, Hai Duong province has undergone many restorations and embellishments but still retains its precious stone tower, valuable in both age and architectural art.
Khanh Quang Pagoda (commonly known as Gao Pagoda) was built during the Later Le Dynasty, at the end of the 18th century, by Gia Lam Dang Tien Cong, a novice monk with the name Hai Thanh, from Dang Lam village, An Hai district, Hai Phong city. During its heyday, Khanh Quang Pagoda had 144 large and small rooms and was the center of religious activities in the whole region.
During the Nguyen Dynasty, Khanh Quang Pagoda underwent many restorations and embellishments. In the late 70s of the 20th century, the pagoda still had many architectural works of artistic value. In 1978, the pagoda was dismantled to take materials to build local welfare projects. In 1997, local people rebuilt the pagoda, including the main pagoda with the Dinh-shaped architecture with 3 front rooms and 2 back rooms; the ancestral house with 3 front rooms and 2 back rooms.
Besides its long history, the most unique architecture of Khanh Quang Pagoda is the Nine-Piece Lotus Tower made of stone. From the base of the tower to the top of the tower, all are gray stone slabs that are harmoniously assembled. The stone surface is meticulously carved, making the entire tower look like a large lotus platform.
The most unique feature of the tower is that it was created by ancient artisans from monolithic stones and erected in the middle of the temple space. The structure consists of 3 main parts: pedestal, body and top, 11m high (excluding the pedestal). The tower pedestal is shaped like a three-level structure made of gray stone blocks, each level is assembled into a regular hexagon, the joints are tightly joined together, forming sturdy steps. The tower body consists of 9 floors built vertically with the "upper reduction, lower challenge" method.
With its long history and architectural artistic value, in 2004, the Nine-Piece Lotus Tower was ranked as a national historical relic by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism.
Mr. Le Van Tang - Chairman of the People's Committee of Kim Tan Commune, Kim Thanh District, Hai Duong Province said that currently, the location of the Nine-Piece Lotus Tower in Khanh Quang Pagoda is very close to the residential area, which causes many difficulties in preserving and maintaining this architectural work.
The local government, with the consent of the people, wishes that the area around the tower will be expanded to create more favorable conditions for the preservation of this valuable structure. At the same time, the expansion of the area will also help to better meet the needs of the people for performing religious and belief activities, preserving the local cultural and spiritual values in the future.
