QUANG MINH PAGODA

Quang Minh Pagoda is located at no. 10, Y Mieu street, Van Mieu ward, Dong Da district, Hanoi city.

According to folk legend, the pagoda was built in the end of Le Dynasty in Van Tan village (now Nguyen Khuyen street); since it had not been repaired for a long time, the pagoda was in desolate condition. In Quy Ty year of Thanh Thai reign (1893), two Ladies of the late Ha Ninh provincial chiefs (whose surnames were Phan and Hoang) came forward to repair and restore the pagoda. Under Duy Tan Reign (1908), seeing that the pagoda was too small and narrow, the chief monk of the pagoda ordered to move it to the current location, making it more spacious. However, due to fast urbanization process, the pagoda’s land was transgressed by surrounding households, causing its premises to be much narrowed. The pagoda’s works now consist of Entrance gate, Front Hall, Main Hall, Patriarch House, Mother Goddess House, and some auxiliary items.

The pagoda’s entrance gate was built of brick in arch form; due to influence of weather and time, the 3 doors have been deteriorated seriously. On two sides of the gate, there are two symbolic pillars, the tops of which are embarked with stylized Cape jasmine fruits and below them are 4 lamp cells with sealed characters. The gate is embarked with 3 Chinese characters meaning “Quang Minh Pagoda”, which have been faded and peeled off partly.

The Front Hall consists of 3 main compartments and 2 auxiliary side compartments, with closed brick wall at the sides and roof covered with traditional tiles. The frame set consists of 4 wooden side frames linked in form of “Overlaid beams and Gong hanging frame in upper and diagonal beam in lower” on four column rows; the floor is covered with red-colored tiles. In each compartment, there are horizontal lacquered boards, door paintings in fresco, and parallel sentences which are red-lacquered and trimmed with gold. The two side compartments of the Front Hall have statue of Anathapindika and Ānanda. The right compartment of the pagoda has an altar for worshiping the fetches. There is a statue of the Kṣitigarbha, portraits of the dead people who are worshipped in here, and a big bell hanged above the altar.

The Main Hall consists of 3 in-line compartments in the layout of Dinh (丁) character. The wooded frame is in simple form of “Overlaid beams and Gong hanging frame in upper and diagonal beam in lower” with no ornamental patterns. There are pedestals of increasing height at the back wall for arranging Buddhism statues in rows.

The Patriarch and Mother Goddess houses are built close to the right side of the main work, consist of 7 brick compartments with close brick walls at the sides and roof covered with traditional tiles. The wooden frame sets are all in form of “Overlaid beams and Gong hanging frame in upper and diagonal beam in lower”. The house’s floor elevation is heightened in comparison to surrounding ground. There are altars for worshiping Mother Goddess and Ancestral monk close to the back wall.

Quang Minh pagoda now preserves a system of 31 round statues (of the Buddhas, Patriarch, Mother Goddess) which were created beautifully and meticulously. Those with high artistic value are Three-Worlds Buddhas Statues and Three Major Buddhas Statues (including Amitābha and his two followers: Avalokiteshvaraand Mahāsthāmaprāpt), which are considered as standard of traditional statue sculpture art.

The Three-Worlds Buddhas statues are in special sitting position, with hands forming a meditation configuration. The statue heads are in ancient style, with “Vô kiến đỉnh” (“Invisible” mark). The hairs are plaited in longitudinal rows like a hat covering the head. The statues has merciful faces, wear two-layered robe with the outer one covering up to the shoulders; the back of the robe folds to the side of the body like that of the statue in Phat Tich pagoda dated to Ly Dynasty. The artistic style of the statues are dated to 18th Century.

The Three Major Buddhas Statues (including Amitābha, Avalokiteshvaraand Mahāsthāmaprāpt) also have great artistic value. The Amitābha statue was created in mediation sitting form, with hands in special meditation formation and placed on the thighs as per the principle of sitting of Eastern world. The face is quite stout; the eyes are half closed and looking down; the mouth is smiling of aiding people, nose is thick and even. The Buddha wears two-layered monk’s robe folding in order. The artistic style of the statues are dated to 18th Century.

Besides the Buddha statues system, Quang Minh pagoda also preserves 13 stone steles, 2 bronze bells dated to Nguyen Dynasty. These are precious historical materials which support studying the land area, history of the pagoda, the repairs and restorations, as well as other aspects of the life and society in that contemporary time.

Quang Minh pagoda was classified as National Vestige in 1993.