Welcome, dear visitors!
We invite you to visit a historical, cultural, and religious relic of Đặng Giang Village, Hòa Xá Commune – Đặng Giang Pagoda
The pagoda was first and foremost a product of village culture, tied to the village and a priceless heritage left by previous generations; its solemn, quiet character is shown in its location, architectural structure, the system of round statues on the Buddha altar, and the finely carved panels on the roof trusses, deeply imbued with traditional national culture.
Đặng Giang Pagoda nestles in a serene space; it is not only a solemn place of religious activity for local people but also a spiritual destination rich in traditional Buddhist culture. Passing through the pagoda gate and leaving behind the noise of daily life, visitors enter a serene space where the sound of the pagoda bell mingles with the faint scent of incense, helping the mind become light and letting go of all worries. Coming to the traditional architecture, which preserves the beauty of Buddhist art, brings a feeling of closeness, solemnity, and nostalgia, and allows you to enjoy a sense of peace with the gentle, quiet greenery at Đặng Giang Pagoda, Hòa Xá Commune. This is an ideal place to stroll, meditate, and feel every breath of the present, nourishing the mind toward a peaceful, calm life. The pagoda was ranked as a historical and cultural relic under Decision No. 2004/QĐ-UBND dated July 3, 2008, of the former Hà Tây Provincial People's Committee.
The name Đặng Giang Pagoda is associated with the village name; the pagoda is also known by its Sino-Vietnamese name, Cổ Loa Tự. Cổ Loa Temple
The pagoda is located near the Thượng Temple in Đặng Giang Village, Hòa Xá Commune, facing west on a beautiful plot of land. With the pagoda facing west, previous generations wished that the compassionate Buddha would look upon the villagers, grant good things, prevent evil, and guide people to do many good deeds and act humanely.
Đặng Giang Pagoda is about 50 km southwest of Hanoi and about 10 km northwest of Vân Đình Commune; reaching the relic by road is very convenient.
From Hanoi, follow National Highway 6 to Ba La intersection, then turn left onto National Highway 21B, pass through Bình Đà Street to Vân Đình crossroads, head toward Tế Tiêu until kilometer 38 of National Highway 21B, and you will reach Đặng Giang Village. From there, turn into the village for a few hundred meters to reach the relic.
Together with the communal house and the temple, Cổ Loa Pagoda contributes to making this one of the most important public works here, and Buddhism has coexisted with the ups and downs of Vietnamese history, using Buddhist teachings and the compassionate Buddha to encourage good and deter evil and to educate people in humanity and righteousness. This is also a place to introduce and promote the creative labor tradition of our ancestors to present and future generations.
Đặng Giang Pagoda was originally built to meet the religious and spiritual needs of the Đặng Giang Village community. Village intellectuals, village elders, village conventions, and anonymous architects over many generations, without contacting or discussing with one another and without any available survey documents, agreed to place their village pagoda in a worthy location—worthy of both space and time, and moreover, previous generations worked hard to restore and repair it so that the pagoda has its own unique features. Đặng Giang Pagoda is a Buddhist architectural work worshipping Buddha according to the Mahayana tradition; in terms of outstanding value, it is an artistic architectural relic of the pagoda type.
Đặng Giang Pagoda, like other pagodas, was built on the most beautiful plot of land in the village. Around the pagoda there are many grasses, trees, flowers, and leaves, many old trees, and sometimes even a medicinal garden... Coming to the pagoda to sightsee and worship the Buddha naturally nurtures and elevates human feelings, in keeping with the pagoda's tendency toward a life away from the mundane world. Over time, monks and pilgrims have been and are enriching the pagoda's landscape, making it more beautiful and serene.
It is not known when Đặng Giang Pagoda was first built, but based on the upper beam inscription in the Front Hall, which reads: 'Hoàng triều Thành Thái thập nhị niên, tuế tại Canh Tý, bát nguyệt nhị thập nhất nhật Canh Dần tu bổ,' meaning: in the 12th year of King Thành Thái's reign (1900), Canh Tý year, on the Canh Dần day of the eighth month, it was repaired. Thus, compared with the time before that repair, Đặng Giang Pagoda has certainly existed for at least several hundred years.
The first item when entering Buddha's land is to pass through the Tam Quan. Tam Quan signifies three things: Look, See, and Observe (Không Quan—looking at things, in reality everything is emptiness; Đà Quan—everything is subject to change, all things are present, everything exists; Trung Quan—it is neither non-existent nor existent. It is the middle, both existing and non-existing; the path into Buddha's land is the path into that truth).
The Tam Quan of Đặng Giang Pagoda is built in the three-gate style, including one main gate and two side gates; the two side gates are also called the left gate and right gate, made in the arched-door style, with four curved roof corners stylized from inverted leaves above, and an image of the sun at the center of the roof. At the main gate, the upper part is divided into two tiers with eight roofs covered in tubular tiles, and the decorative band is embossed with three Chinese characters: Phổ Tế Môn Phổ Tế Môn. Connecting the gates is a low wall system with four symmetrical memorial pillars. At the main gate there is also a couplet with the following content:
Chinese characters:
Transliteration:
Rough translation:
Pass through a small courtyard into the main pagoda. The main pagoda is built in a Đinh-shaped layout, including the Front Hall and the Upper Sanctuary; there are also other works such as the guest house, ancestral house, and garden courtyard system... Pass through five steps into the Front Hall.
The Front Hall of Đặng Giang Pagoda is a horizontal building with three bays and two side wings, with brick walls and closed gables. At the front, the door system is made in the style "Upper lattice, lower panel" creating an airy appearance for the relic. Looking upward, the roof ridge and eaves are finished with bờ đinh, and the two ends of the roof ridge are finished with two đinh ends. Two memorial pillars stand symmetrically on both sides of the side wings; the top of each pillar is a lotus bud, meaning purity and serenity, followed by a dragon lantern box; the pillar body is edged with lines and left smooth. Inside, the roof trusses are made in two different styles. The four trusses in the three central bays are joined.
The roof-supporting trusses are made in two different styles; the four central trusses are made in the style Upper stacked beams, lower braced beams, with exposed tie beams On the ground plan there are four rows of column bases. Connecting the tops of the main columns is a large, sturdy first beam; on its back rest the rường that support the upper purlins and carry the upper roof beam through boat-shaped đấu kẻ. The short rường have one end mortised into the body of the main column and the other projecting to support the lower purlins; the veranda kẻ are mortised into the military columns, and the other end extends to the veranda column row to support the purlins and roof edges. The two trusses of the side bays are made in the traditional truss style. The upper and lower trusses are linked by upper and lower xà running along the five bays.
The central bay of the Tiền đường is reserved for worship, with statues of the two Hộ pháp on either side (Encouraging Goodness and Punishing Evil). These are two guardian deities who guard and protect the Buddha; Mr. Thiện is on the right, and Mr. Ác is on the left.
Next to it is an altar with statues of the Holy Monk and Đức Ông. The Đức Ông statue sits with legs dangling on a pedestal, in the form of a mandarin wearing a cách chuồn hat, with a red face, highly symbolic. His altar is usually placed on the left, where pilgrims need to approach before entering to worship the Buddha, because they must follow the direction of the character Vạn to advance in wholesome roots. Worshipping before his altar is a form of 'asking permission' (respectful notification) before approaching the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas. The Holy Monk statue is placed symmetrically with Đức Ông's altar, on the right side of the Tiền đường, in the image of a monk wearing a Tỳ lư thất Phật hat, also usually sitting with legs dangling, left hand holding a cup of cam lồ water, right hand in the gesture of preaching to save sentient beings.
Connecting from the central bay of the Tiền đường are four bays of the Thượng điện built as a longitudinal house with closed gables. Below, brick is built in stepped tiers rising gradually toward the back, where the system of Buddha statues is located.
* The highest position is the Tam Thế statue set consisting of three statues of similar size and posture. Tam Thế is fully called 'Tam Thế thường trụ điệu pháp thân' or 'Tam Thế Tam Thiên Phật'. The statues are made in the yin-yang seated posture with the right foot exposed on the left thigh, hands in the meditation mudra placed palms up on the lap. The skulls are broad, faces full and balanced. The uṣṇīṣa is raised high. The ears are large and elongated, the hair coils thick and small. The robes have two layers: the inner layer knotted at the abdomen, with a lotus-petal la bào draped outside. The lotus pedestal has two rows of upward petals, single, large, thick, and pointed.
* The second layer is the Amitābha statue. This is the largest statue in the Thượng điện. The statue has a high uṣṇīṣa; at the center of the crown the vô kiến is shown in spiral form. The face is round and full, the chin pendulous, the earlobes large and elongated. The statue sits cross-legged on a lotus pedestal, both hands in the meditation mudra palms up in the lap. The robes have three layers falling softly. Beside it is the Quan Âm Toạ Sơn statue. Quan Âm Toạ Sơn expresses Her compassion for sentient beings.
* The third layer is the Thích Ca niệm hoa statue in the cross-legged posture on a lotus pedestal, left hand palm up on the lap, right hand holding a lotus flower raised to face level, neck wearing a prayer-bead necklace, plump face, eyes half-closed looking down, large ears, elongated earlobes, thick hair coiled in snail-shell shapes. The outer robe hangs loosely; the inner robe is knotted at the abdomen. The lotus base has three rows of upward petals, single and plump. On either side are the two statues of Ananda and Mahākāśyapa.
* The fourth layer is the Quan Âm Chuẩn Đề statue, the statue is made sitting cross-legged on a lotus pedestal (also called Thiên Thủ Thiên Nhân). The Quan Âm Chuẩn Đề statue has 10 pairs of hands: the main pair forms the Chuẩn Đề mudra; another pair forms the meditation mudra palms up on the lap; one pair rests on the knees; the other 7 pairs radiate evenly to both sides forming various mudras and holding Buddhist Dharma treasures. The statue has a full chest, round face, eyes half-closed looking down, mouth with a faint smile of salvation, tall neck with three folds, elongated earlobes, head wearing a heavenly crown; the high crown rim has two dragons facing the moon and the fire of samādhi. The robes have two layers: the inner knotted at the abdomen, the outer lotus-petal kasaya falling softly. On either side are statues of Nam Tào and Bắc Đẩu.
* The fifth layer is the Ngọc Hoàng statue carved in a seated posture on a two-tier pedestal. The head wears a bình thiên hat, both hands hold a hốt chỉ ritual tablet, feet wear hia, and the body wears a long cổn robe inlaid with dragons, clouds, and tiger tallies; the robe has a belt at the abdomen, and the folds fall softly.
* The sixth layer is the Cửu Long throne, carved in a vaulted style; in the vault are swirling cloud tiers with nine small dragons whose heads spray water to bathe the infant Thích Ca. The infant Thích Ca stands on a lotus throne, with a chest trấn, wearing a skirt, right hand pointing to the earth and left hand pointing to the sky according to Buddhist legend. The infant Thích Ca statue is not simply to speak of a saint's birth into the world, but is almost a declaration tied to the Buddhist path. The Buddhist legend records that when Thích Ca had just emerged from his earthly mother, He walked seven steps on seven lotus flowers (the number 7 is a plural number in Indian and Southeast Asian culture; this meaning is to say the Buddha stepped into the whole universe and brought happiness to countless suffering sentient beings), then He pointed his left hand to the sky and his right hand to the earth and said: 'Above heaven and below heaven, I alone am honored' (in heaven and on earth only I am the most noble). At the Tổ house there is also a statue of the Patriarch and many other ritual objects.
Đặng Giang Pagoda still preserves a number of precious relics, affirming and honoring traditional culture and providing us with knowledge of the level of fine arts, painting, and architecture through historical periods:
- 01 bronze bell. The bell's suspension loop is made in the form of two dragons butting tails together to bear the bell's weight; the bell body has raised ridges running vertically and horizontally, dividing it into eight compartments; at the intersections of these ridges are four round raised striking bosses with floral petals running around; above are cast in relief four large characters giving the pagoda's name. On the four compartments of the bell is an inscription about the history of building the pagoda and the names of benefactors who donated to building the pagoda and casting the bell. The bell is hung in the bell tower of the Tổ house and dates to the Lê dynasty.
- 01 decorative altar canopy.
- 02 pairs of lục bình vases
- 03 incense bowls.
- 01 offering tray.
- 03 wooden water vessels.
- 02 bronze candlesticks.
- 02 wooden incense tubes.
- 01 other bronze offering tray...
In addition, the pagoda still preserves nearly 20 statues and a number of other worship objects.
The Dang Giang Pagoda was built to satisfy the local people’s spiritual and cultural needs: everyone prays for good things for human health, favorable conditions for crops and livestock, and a social life of equality, fairness, and truth, goodness, and beauty. When people come to the pagoda to pray to the Buddha and worship, they usually follow lunar-calendar dates based on the phases of the moon. On the first day of the month and on the full-moon day, people prepare offerings and go to the pagoda to worship the Buddha, hoping that by starting the month with a good deed according to the Buddha’s teachings, all their work will flow smoothly and as they wish. Besides the seasonal festival days of the year, there are the commemoration days of Maitreya Buddha, the Thuong Nguyen Festival, and especially the commemoration of the Buddha’s birthday, called Buddha’s Birthday (Phat Dan). Buddha’s Birthday is a great festival; in our country, from the Ly and Tran dynasties, it was a national holiday. During the day there are Buddha bathing and releasing of living creatures, and at night there is a very lively lantern-releasing ceremony. Through later dynasties it was no longer regarded as a national holiday, but in rural villages this festival has continued to be practiced. On the 15th day of the 7th lunar month is the Vu Lan Festival (this term comes from the Ullambana Sutra), so it is called the festival of filial piety. In many Buddhist sutras, the most important is the Great Sutra of the Profound Grace of Parents, which reminds people to repay their parents’ kindness: “There are two things that enable ordinary people to attain great merit and great karmic reward, namely serving the father and serving the mother.” Therefore the Vu Lan Festival, also called the festival of filial piety, is solemnly held to pray for parents and grandparents to be liberated. On these festival days, people come to the pagoda with pure vegetarian offerings: incense, flowers, rice cakes and fruit, and agricultural products according to the season; they light a stick of heartfelt incense, ask for a little blessed offering from the pagoda, and then return home with a calm and pure mind. The pagoda offers worship to the Buddha, presents memorials, chants sutras, worships the Patriarchs, and explains Buddhist sutra stories to the Buddhists. Buddhists believe in what they pray for, or in the good deeds they have done for the souls of the dead. That is also a motivation that encourages them in their business, study, and work. Apart from religious rituals, there is no superstition at Dang Giang Pagoda. The elderly lay Buddhist women and the abbot monk who look after the pagoda respect the Buddha, are united, and enthusiastically serve visitors and local people who come to the pagoda to worship the Buddha as well as to visit and study the relic.
The Dang Giang Pagoda was established to meet the community’s needs for spiritual, religious, and belief-related activities in the village. The pagoda has the multi-faceted value of a traditional Buddhist architectural work and holds a significant place in the cultural heritage treasure of the homeland. The artistic carving in the pagoda is concentrated in the system of statues on the Buddha hall. The pagoda’s statues were all created elaborately and meticulously, have high aesthetic value, and deserve to be artistic sculptures of the 19th–20th centuries. Each statue here carries its own beauty, characteristic of the period in which it was created, and at the same time each statue has its own distinctive general features, representative of each specific figure. Throughout its existence, Dang Giang Pagoda has contributed significantly to preserving the traditional cultural values of the nation and to nurturing compassion and love for the homeland and fellow human beings among the local people. In present life, the role of the relic is still preserved.
Dang Giang Pagoda, in Dang Giang Village, Hoa Xa Commune, always opens its arms to welcome visitors from all directions and local people to come and worship. Here, every stick of incense lit is a prayer for family peace, and every mindful step is a moment of touching inner freedom. We respectfully invite Buddhists and visitors from all directions to set out toward Dang Giang Pagoda to worship the Buddha together, enjoy the scenery, and sow good karmic ties./.
