Top 8 Records of Bai Dinh Pagoda - Ninh Binh Attracting Tourists You Might Not Know

Bai Dinh Pagoda is located in the Trang An Landscape Complex in Gia Sinh Commune, Gia Vien District, Ninh Binh Province. The Bai Dinh Pagoda complex consists of two architectural works, Bai Dinh New and Bai Dinh Ancient. Both temples still exist and conduct religious activities on the same spacious 1,700-hectare area. Located about 18km from Ninh Binh City and 100km from the capital Hanoi, Bai Dinh Pagoda has become a center for spiritual and cultural events not only in Vietnam but also in the entire Asian region. Some international-scale programs include: the United Nations Day of Vesak celebration in 2014 and the International Buddhist Conference held in 2014, as well as the UNESCO World Peace Prayer event held in 2011, all took place here.

The statue of Shakyamuni Buddha meditating on a lotus throne and contemplating a lotus flower in the main hall holds the record for the largest solid bronze Buddha statue plated with gold in Asia. This record was established in 2012. It is also considered a symbol of the sacred and solemn Bai Dinh Pagoda. The Buddha statue is 10 meters high, weighs 100 tons, made of gold-plated solid bronze, and is placed on a 1.5-meter-high pedestal. The statue was cast by artisans from Thượng Đồng village, Yên Tiến commune, Ý Yên district, Nam Định province, supported by a reinforced concrete steel frame mimicking wood, reaching nearly 30 meters high; 44.7 meters long, 43.3 meters wide.

Located approximately 2 hours by motorbike from the capital Hanoi, Bai Dinh Pagoda sits on the sacred land of 'mountains embracing rivers, clouds surrounding peaks' in Sinh Duoc village, Gia Sinh commune, Gia Vien district, Ninh Binh province. The Bai Dinh Pagoda complex is established as the largest in Vietnam with a total area of 539 hectares, including 27 hectares of the ancient Bai Dinh Pagoda area, 80 hectares of the newly constructed Bai Dinh Pagoda since 2003, and other facilities such as cultural parks, Buddhist academies, roads, parking lots, and the Dam Thi lake area... Surrounding the pagoda are majestic limestone mountain arcs, creating a poetic ambiance.

The new Bai Dinh Pagoda complex features architectural structures arranged from low to high, consisting of 5 levels along the main axis: Inner Three Gates, Bell Tower, Guanyin Shrine, Main Hall, and atop is the Three World Hall. Particularly notable is the Three World Hall, towering at 34 meters high and covering an area of 2370 square meters, housing three Buddha statues each standing 7.2 meters tall and weighing 50 tons cast from solid bronze, confirmed as the largest bronze Three World statues in Vietnam.

The Laughing Buddha statue is a familiar figure in folk Buddhism, symbolizing human joy and happiness. It's not uncommon to encounter the image of Laughing Buddha with a radiant smile, chubby figure, and relaxed, carefree posture displayed in households, temples, especially at some famous landmarks. Visiting the spiritual tourism site of Bai Dinh Pagoda, which holds the most records in Asia for its incredibly exquisite statues with 'giant' sizes. Among them, mention must be made of the bronze Laughing Buddha statue.

The bronze Laughing Buddha statue weighing 100 tons sitting serenely atop a hill outside the Tam The hall of Bai Dinh Pagoda is the largest bronze Laughing Buddha statue in Southeast Asia. Although it's high up, pilgrims visiting here cannot overlook this spot. Standing on high, admiring the beauty of the Buddha statue, praying for peace and happiness for their families, nothing is as serene and peaceful as this. On the temple's festival day, people from all over come to worship at the temple. Many even place money, rubbing it on the Buddha statue to bring luck on their pilgrimage.

Bai Dinh Pagoda is also home to the largest jade well in Vietnam. This record was established in 2007. From the Three Gates, descending 300 stone steps to the foot of Bai Dinh mountain is the jade well. The well is crescent-shaped, very spacious, with a diameter of 30 meters, a depth of 6 meters, and its water appears emerald green during the jade season, reflecting the sky and clouds. And the special thing is that the well never runs out of water. The stone railing around the well's mouth looks very beautiful. The land around the square well covers an area of ​​0.6 hectares with 4 corners, forming 4 octagonal floors, surrounded by green trees and flowers blooming all year round. It is said that nearly 1000 years ago, Zen Master Nguyen Minh Khong used water from this well to make medicine to treat the poor and Prince Yang Huan.

In the past, no one knew about it, Zen Master Nguyen Minh Khong (the founder of Bai Dinh Pagoda) was informed in a dream by a deity about a precious water source under the mountain near the pagoda. After that, he used the well water to make medicine for the people. Today, when Bai Dinh Pagoda, both ancient and new, is restored and built, the Jade Well is also renovated by monks. Currently, the well has a crescent shape, with a diameter of nearly 30m and a depth of about 6m. The area around the well's mouth is built with stones from Dinh mountain. The courtyard around the well is square-shaped with an area of ​​up to 6,000m2, with four corners forming four octagonal floors. The surrounding landscape is adorned with lush green trees. To reach the well, you have to pass through a beautiful stone gate.

Along the way to Bai Dinh Pagoda, on the left side of the Arhat corridor, visitors will encounter the Bell Pavilion. Here lies the record for the largest Great Unity Bell in Vietnam (2007). Weighing 36 tons, with a diameter of 3.45 meters and a height of 5.40 meters, this bell is used for religious rituals and worship, housed in the ancient bell tower with its unique octagonal architectural style towering 22 meters high, featuring 3 curved roofs. Adorning the bell body are inscriptions of the Great Compassion Dharani Sutra in Buddhist scripture written in Chinese characters, along with numerous decorative motifs related to Buddhism.

The bell tower at Bai Dinh Pagoda (Ninh Binh) serves as the repository for the largest Great Unity Bell and the colossal Bronze Drum in Vietnam today. The bell tower, constructed in an octagonal shape, comprises 3 floors and 2 staircases for visitors to explore the Great Unity Bell and the Bronze Drum. Standing out in the bell tower is the largest Great Unity Bell in Vietnam, crafted by an artisan from Hue. The bell was cast in Hue and then transported over several days to Bai Dinh Pagoda, where it was installed in the bell tower.

Bai Dinh Pagoda stands as a grand temple complex with numerous Asian and Vietnamese records, such as having the largest gold-plated bronze Buddha statue in Asia, the longest Arhat corridor in Asia, the largest bronze Di Lac statue in Southeast Asia... It is the largest temple and holds the most records in Vietnam. Among them, the temple is also confirmed to have the most Arhat statues in Vietnam.

Walking through the Arhat corridor, which spans nearly 3 km in total length, visitors will encounter a large number of Arhat statues. Each row of the corridor features 250 Arhat statues carved from solid stone, each statue standing between 2 to 2.5 meters tall. What is particularly remarkable, showcasing the exquisite craftsmanship of Ninh Binh stone artisans, is that each Arhat statue exhibits different forms and expressions representing the philosophical principles of Buddhism, depicting various emotional states such as joy, anger, love, and sorrow in the daily lives of humans. Therefore, Bai Dinh Pagoda holds the record for the temple boasting the most Arhat statues in Vietnam.

Visitors to Bai Dinh Pagoda will be deeply impressed by the two long, enclosed corridors leading to the mountain temples and descending paths. This is also the longest Arhat corridor in Asia. This record was established in 2012. Each corridor is approximately 1,700 meters long with 250 chambers, each chamber measuring 4.5m x 4.5m. The two corridors are constructed with 10,000 cubic meters of wood and are meticulously carved and assembled by 100 craftsmen and 700 workers.

Firstly, it's important to understand that Arhats are disciples of the Buddha Shakyamuni. In Theravada Buddhism, an Arhat is the final state of an individual on the path to enlightenment, having passed through the four stages of enlightenment (the Four Fruits) and attained a very high achievement, meaning they have practiced to the point of enlightenment, reached eternal tranquility in Nirvana, and escaped the cycle of birth and death. In Mahayana Buddhism, Arhats are replaced by Bodhisattvas. While achieving liberation for themselves, Bodhisattvas have the ability to help others attain liberation as well. Therefore, according to Buddhist belief, the Arhat statues placed at Bai Dinh Pagoda are meant to be close, guide, and educate sentient beings.

Bai Dinh Pagoda is renowned for having the most Bodhi trees planted in our country to date. According to Buddhist scriptures, the Bodhi tree played a crucial role in the life of the Buddha as he attained enlightenment under its shade and gradually understood the teachings of Buddhism. Following this belief, a nun once visited that Bodhi tree, took cuttings, and brought them back to plant in India.

Therefore, when constructing Bai Dinh Pagoda, 100 third-generation Bodhi trees were transplanted from those of Indian origin, symbolizing the sanctity of the pagoda. All the Bodhi trees were planted during the United Nations Vesak Day celebration in Vietnam in 2008 and have since grown into thousands of trees surrounding the pagoda.