Buzz
Visiting temples on the first day of the year is a beautiful cultural and spiritual tradition of the Vietnamese people during the traditional Tet holiday. Saigon temples are always crowded with visitors coming to offer incense on the first day of spring.
At the beginning of the spring, many temples in the city, especially the ancient ones, are always bustling with visitors from all over coming to admire the scenery, pray for peace, and health for their families.
Giac Lam Pagoda
At the beginning of spring, one of the busiest temples in Saigon is Giac Lam Pagoda. Built in 1744, it has been 270 years since, Giac Lam Pagoda is the oldest pagoda in Saigon, bearing the typical religious architecture of the Southern region. This is the headquarters of the Linh Te Zen sect in the South, with a Tam architecture, consisting of 3 interconnected horizontal rows: main hall, lecture hall, and monks' quarters.
Located on Lac Long Quan Street, with a fairly spacious courtyard and many cool green trees. With its long history and iconic architecture, this is one of the most famous temples in Ho Chi Minh City, whether on weekdays or on the first day of the lunar new year, it is always crowded with visitors.
Upon stepping inside the temple, visitors immediately sense the harmonious blend with nature and the serene atmosphere of Zen Buddhism. Facing the temple stands the Xa Loi Pagoda with its hexagonal shape, housing the Xa Loi Buddha on the 7th floor. The temple grounds feature a statue of Quan The Am Bodhisattva under the shade of a Bodhi tree. This Bodhi tree was brought from Sri Lanka (formerly known as Ceylon) by Venerable Narada and planted in 1953.
Today, the temple also serves as a small museum, preserving numerous exquisitely carved sculptures. There are 113 ancient wooden statues inside the temple, most of which are intricately carved. The main columns inside the hall are adorned with meticulously crafted couplets and gold-leafed offerings.
Giac Vien Temple
Also situated on Lac Long Quan Street, the history of Giac Vien Temple (also known as Ho Dat Temple) is closely linked with Giac Lam Monastery. Its location was initially where timber was sourced for the restoration of Giac Lam Monastery (in 1798), starting as a small hermitage and later developed into a temple.
Giac Vien Temple is also a renowned ancient temple in Ho Chi Minh City, boasting a similar architectural style to Giac Lam Monastery, featuring a central Buddha hall flanked by two rows of houses. Like other major temples, the temple complex also includes auxiliary buildings serving as classrooms, dormitories, and kitchens.
The temple houses 153 wooden statues, most of which are ancient and considered early portraits of Southern Vietnam. Additionally, there are 57 silk canopies and 60 bas-reliefs, the majority of which are precious artifacts from antiquity.
The Celestial Empress Temple
Situated along Nguyen Trai Street, The Celestial Empress Temple (also known as Cho Lon Celestial Empress Temple) stands as one of the oldest temples with a rich history among the Chinese community in Ho Chi Minh City. Its construction commenced around 1760.
The Celestial Empress Temple boasts distinctive Chinese architecture, built in the seal-shaped layout, consisting of 4 interconnected houses. Despite undergoing several renovations, the temple still retains this architectural style, both externally and internally.
As the most renowned ancient temple in District 5, The Celestial Empress Temple welcomes a considerable number of worshippers on a daily basis. Especially on the first and fifteenth day of every lunar month, as well as during traditional Chinese festivals such as Lunar New Year, Ghost Festival, and Dragon Boat Festival.
The grandest festival of the temple is the Celestial Empress' Day celebration (on the 23rd day of the 3rd lunar month) annually, attracting not only Chinese and Vietnamese locals in Ho Chi Minh City but also visitors from other provinces.
Mount Phoenix Temple
Phung Son Pagoda sits majestically on 3rd February Street, District 11, established by Zen master Lieu Thong in the early 19th century. Initially, it was just a small hermitage built on a high mound of land, hence locals named it the Hill Pagoda. Legend has it that a phoenix landed on a cornstalk in front of the hermitage and chirped auspiciously, so the Zen master renamed it Phung Son Pagoda.
In 1904, the hermitage was reconstructed. Over 200 years and two major renovations later, the pagoda still retains its ancient architecture with wooden frames and yin-yang tiled roofs. The pagoda houses 40 meticulously crafted statues coated with gold lacquer, including precious ones like the Three Jewels, the Five Virtuous Ones, stone Buddha statues, statues of Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva, and more.
Sung Duc Pagoda
Another ancient pagoda that attracts visitors from all corners during the Lunar New Year is Sung Duc Pagoda in Thu Duc. Built in 1806, over 200 years have passed, yet the pagoda still maintains its style and architecture with a four-pillar wooden house design and yin-yang tiled roofs, following the traditional trigram layout as it was in the past.
With its long history, the pagoda still preserves many precious artifacts such as a 1.3-meter-tall bronze bell, a 1.3-meter-tall wooden statue of Shakyamuni Buddha, a 1.34-meter-long ancient wooden drum, 8 ancient statues, and 3 pairs of precious wooden incense burners. Besides these ancient artifacts, the pagoda also houses many other valuable artistic treasures meticulously carved and crafted by skilled artisans.
According to Zing News
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Presented by MytourOctober 8, 2015
