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According to historical records and stone tablets, this is the oldest Buddhist pagoda in Vietnam, serving as a meeting point for two streams of Buddhism from India and China. The pagoda was built in the 2nd century (commenced in 187 and completed in 226) under the reign of Si Nhiếp as the thái thú.
The Dau Pagoda venerates the goddess Phap Van, hence it is also called Phap Van Pagoda and is situated in the land of Co Chau, thus also known as Co Chau Pagoda. The pagoda is closely associated with the ancient Vietnamese folklore of the Four Commandments.
At the beginning of the common era, Indian monks came here to propagate Buddhism, establishing the Buddhist center of Luy Lau. The pagoda tower was built magnificently next to the city walls, temples, palaces, and bustling streets of the urban Luy Lau.
Among them, Dau Pagoda is the center of a system of pagodas worshiping Buddha and the Four Commandments (Van, Vu, Loi, Dien), a unique feature for its combination of Indian Buddhism and Vietnamese folk beliefs. Dau Pagoda also became the center of the Tieni Dalu Chi meditation sect, the first meditation sect of Vietnamese Buddhism.
The temple complex now consists of various architectural elements: front hall, Hoa Phong tower, front courtyard, guest houses - main houses, triple gem hall, rear courtyard, corridors, and auxiliary buildings.
The architecture of Dau Pagoda is the result of multiple renovations. The most significant was when King Tran Anh Tong commissioned Mac Dinh Chi to redesign Dau Pagoda into a hundred-compartment pagoda, nine-story tower, and nine-span bridge. Surrounding the main hall are rows of horizontal and vertical houses in a combination of domestic and foreign styles.
In the temple courtyard, Mac Dinh Chi erected the nine-story Hoa Phong tower. The square tower is built of brick, with a sturdy appearance. The tower symbolizes the cosmic mountain, with four corners each holding a statue of a celestial guardian, and a bronze bell hanging on top of the tower.
The Hoa Phong tower is constructed with large ancient bricks, hand-fired with the dark aged color of sanded clay. Time has taken away the top six layers of the tower, leaving it about 17m tall but still majestic and steadfast. The tower has a square base, each side measuring 7m. The lower level has 4 arched doors.
Inside the tower hangs a bronze bell cast in 1793 and a bronze gong cast in 1817. There are 4 celestial guardian statues, 4 mythical deities governing the 4 cardinal directions, standing 1.6m tall at the four corners of the tower.
The area connecting the front hall and the rear courtyard in the temple is where the Eighteen Arhats (18 disciples of the Buddha who have attained the level of Arhat) are worshiped. In addition, statues of Bodhisattvas, Three Sages, Venerable Sirs, and Saints are placed in the rear hall.
Behind the temple courtyard is a small, clear water pond, providing a cool and refreshing atmosphere. Right next to it is the ancient tower garden, where the ashes and relics of generations of temple abbots have been enshrined.
As time passed, the fortifications, long temples, and palaces in the center of Luy Lau fell into ruins. However, Dau Pagoda with its Hoa Phong tower and hundreds of venerable ancient temple compartments still exist. Thus, the temple remains the foremost historical site of the North Capital region.
History has affirmed the position of Dau Pagoda in the cultural, spiritual, and religious life of the people. The temple was recognized as a Special National Historical and Cultural Monument in 2013.
According to Mytour
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Reference: Mytour Travel Guide
MytourDecember 1, 2022
