Cự Đà Pagoda

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An overview introduction to a prominent tourist attraction of the capital Hanoi...

Detailed content about the history, culture, and distinctive features that attract visitors...

During the Lê dynasty, Linh Minh Tự was located in Cự Đà village, Hạ Thanh Oai commune, Thanh Oai district, Ứng Thiên prefecture, and is now in Bình Minh commune, Hà Nội city. The oldest artifact with inscriptions at the pagoda is a stone incense tree made in Chính Hòa 16 (1695). Cự Đà is an ancient suburban village beside the Nhuệ River, convenient for both water and road transport. Therefore, since ancient times this village has been very wealthy through trade and the making of vermicelli and soy sauce, making it increasingly famous. A series of works with French-style architecture such as villas, village gates, and communal council houses make the village look like a town; even before 1945, houses were numbered.

Hidden under the canopy of ancient trees, all of which are heritage trees, Cự Đà Pagoda is shaded all year round. In front of the courtyard is where ancient steles are erected; besides the Lê-era stone incense tree, there are also early Nguyễn-era steles, including a hậu stele with a carved statue! Through epigraphic documents, it is known that the pagoda was restored in 1695 during the Lê dynasty and in the 32nd year of Tự Đức of the Nguyễn dynasty (1879).

Linh Minh Pagoda, Cự Đà village, Thanh Oai district, Hà Nội has long become a spiritual site, a place for study and learning about Buddhism for many young people. Combined with structures such as the Thành Hoàng shrine, flagpole, communal council house, and stone altar, it forms a continuous and attractive architectural complex for visitors.

To the left of the pagoda, across an alley, is the Trịnh family church; this is the lineage of Trịnh Khả, a founding meritorious official of the Lê dynasty who pacified the Ming, and this clan has also made many contributions to the restoration of the pagoda from the past to the present, with a stele recording the deeds still remaining. On the right side, there are traces of an ancient pagoda, inscribed with the name Linh Quang Tự; the current condition inside and related history are unknown.