CÁT LINH PAGOD

Cát Linh Pagoda with the pen name of "Phổ Quang pagoda" is located at Lane 27, Cát Linh Street, Đống Đa District, Hanoi City. In the Nguyễn Dynasty, this was originally the land of An Trạch village, Yên Thành, Vĩnh Thuận, Hoài Đức district, Hanoi province.

Cát Linh Pagoda worships Buddha according to the Mahayana school. According to the article on the "Phổ Quang tự chung" bell cast in the 12th Gia Long year (1813), Phổ Quang pagoda was left by The Three Patriarchs of Trúc Lâm in the dynasty of King Trần Nhân Tông. During the reign of King Lê Thái Tông, the pagoda was expanded to become a beauty spot of the capital city.

According to the books: “Historical vestiges of the Ancient Thăng Long”, “Streets of Hanoi” and Hanoi Map of 18th and 19th centuries, it is said that Phổ Quang Pagoda was originally a Buddhist center and experienced many big changes in the history. In the 12th Gia Long year (1813), the pagoda had the Three-Jewel house, the Patriarch house restored. In the 5th Thiệu Trị year (1845), the pagoda had another large-scaled restoration when a bell was cast to record the contributions of the peacemakers. During the French colonial period, Cát Linh pagoda was seriously destroyed. After the peace was gained for the country, the head monk Thích Thanh Hoạt called to rebuild the pagoda. The current pagoda’s architecture bears the mark of the major restoration in the late twentieth century.

Formerly, the pagoda was quite spacious. However, through many ups and downs of the history, the pagoda has been narrowed much. The current construction works include: the Three-door gate –Bell Tower, Three-Jewel house, Patriarch house, Mother Goddess House and auxiliary works arranged in separate spaces with walls surrounding, separate from residential areas, ensuring the sanctity of the meditation place.

The Three-door gate of the pagoda was built in the form of 2 floors of 8 roofs with 8 curved heads that flew up into the air and traditional tiled roof. On the upper floor, 4 sides are left empty and there hangs a big bell inside. Front and back are carved with patterns of flowers. The lower floor is curved and the gate is carved with patterns of old chrysanthemum turning into dragon and 3 words in Chinese language of “Phổ Quang pagoda”.

The Three-Jewel house of the pagoda is built with two floors, the first floor is used as a place for reception and daily activities; the second floor worships Buddha. The second floor layout is arranged in the style "Đinh" letter shape including Front Hall and Main Hall.

The Tiền Đường Hall consists of five compartments, built with gable walls featuring wing-like projections. The roof is covered with traditional Vietnamese tiles, and the ridge is sculpted in the "ridge crest" style. The wooden frame comprises six trusses constructed in the "Upper crossbars with stacked beams, lower beam support, porch brackets" style, arranged on a foundation with four rows of columns. At the front, three compartments feature decorative wooden panels intricately carved with motifs such as rosettes, the character "Thọ" (longevity), pine, bamboo, chrysanthemum, apricot, and leaf dragons. Above, small balustrades are installed to provide ventilation and enhance the sense of openness.

The pagoda has a very wide porch, stone columns with square section, four columns decorated with patterns of dragon, lotus petals, clouds, dragon and hippo. The right side hangs a large bell.

The handrails are made of blue stone and carved with patterns of chrysanthemum. Support pillars are decorated with lotus that symbolizes the Buddha, creating a sense of purity and elegance. Running along the 5 compartments of the Front Hall, there hangs 5 horizontal lacquered boards with doors painting in fresco and parallel sentences below. Two side compartments of the Front Hall have statues of Encourager of Virtue and the Admonisher of Evil, Honorable Lord- Great Saint Diệm Nhiên and Saint Sangha.

The Main Hall is located at the back of the temple and consists of two longitudinal compartments. The wooden truss system is constructed in the style of "Upper crossbars, lower beam supports." Along the rear wall, high platforms are built to display Buddha statues. At the top level are the Three Buddhas of Time. The second row features the statues of A Di Đà, Avalokiteshvara Bodhisattva, and Mahasthamaprapta Bodhisattva. The third row displays the Nine-Dragon Canopy and the statue of the Infant Buddha. The fourth row features the statue of Cundi Bodhisattva, with the statues of Kṣitigarbha Bodhisattva and Maudgalyāyana positioned on either side.

The Patriarch house consists of 5 compartments. This is the place to both worship the ancestral monks and receive the guests of the pagoda. The middle compartment places the statues of Bodhidharma, the left compartment worships the ancestral monks who passed away. The decoration of the Patriarch house is strongly shown in horizontal lacquered boards, doors painting in fresco, incense-table, worshipping cabinet, parallel sentences etc. which are red-lacquered and trimmed with gold to create the majestic and magnificent feeling.

The Mother Goddess House is more modest in size, this is the place to worship the Mother Goddess to form a complete whole of the pure Vietnamese pagoda.

Despite many changes, Cát Linh Pagoda still retains a system of valuable objects, demonstrating the longevity of the relic. Remarkably, the two bells cast in the 12th Gia Long year (1813) and the 5th Thiệu Trị year (1845). These are extremely rare artifacts that help us know more about the changes in history, the process of establishment and the restoration and embellishment of the pagoda. In addition, the system of Buddha statues, statues of ancestral monks, mother goddess, horizontal lacquered boards, parallel sentences, curved letter boards, doors painting in fresco etc. with the dating from 19th – 20th century which are red-lacquered and trimmed with gold with the patterns of “the four supernatural creatures”, ‘the four seasons”, cloud, leaves etc. which have contributed to enriching the treasure of cultural heritage of Thăng Long - Hanoi.

Located in the land with many famous historical - cultural relics, such as: Temple of Literature, Bích Câu Taoist Temple, An Quốc Pagoda etc., Cát Linh Pagoda is one of the addresses regularly visited by the people of Hanoi capital for worshiping and praying for Buddha after hard working days. The pagoda is a symbol of compassion, charity, directing people to good values ​​in life.

Cát Linh Pagoda was classified as a city-level relic in 2003.