Dinh Tu Pagoda

Dinh Tu Pagoda was ranked at City level under Decision No. 1725/QD-UBND dated April 14, 2011, of the Hanoi City People's Committee

Regarding the dating of the pagoda's construction:
As the ancients said, 'Beautiful is So communal house, large is Can communal house,' referring to one of the beautiful communal houses, So communal house (Hung Dao Commune), and the large communal house belonging to Can Xa communal house (Can Huu Commune). Thus, in the area of Can Huu Commune (formerly) there was not only a large communal house but also the presence of many valuable relics, including Can Huu Pagoda. Based on the surviving system of relics, the current state of the architectural works, and the recollections of elderly people, Can Huu Pagoda was built during the Le dynasty.
Restoration and repair times:
Over time, Dinh Tu Pagoda has always received attention from local people and pilgrims from all directions, who have contributed their hearts, merit, and wealth to build the pagoda as spacious as it is today. The specific restorations and repairs are as follows:
- In 1933, the Tam Quan house was built; since then this item has been repaired twice (in 1992 and 1997), and the Mother House was also built
in this year.
- In 1997, the outer Front Hall was repaired
- In 1999, the Upper Sanctuary was restored.
- In 2009, a guest house was built
DESCRIPTION OF THE RELIC:
1. General introduction:
Dinh Tu is one of the villages of Can Huu Commune with many relics ranked by the State as historical and cultural relics of great value, such as Dinh Tu communal house and the temple dedicated to the Two-Country Trang Nguyen Nguyen Truc. Dinh Tu Pagoda is located to the left of the temple and communal house, forming a cluster of relics serving the religious and spiritual needs of the local people. The pagoda faces south; in front is the bank of the Tich River, a river that plays an important role in the local economic and cultural development. The pagoda includes the following architectural works: the three-entrance gate combined with a bell tower, the main items of the outer front hall, inner front hall, and upper sanctuary on the overall layout, and a guest house.
'Front single, rear T-shaped.' In addition, there are other works such as the Mother House, the house
2. Architectural description:
a) Three-entrance gate:
The three-entrance gate of Dinh Tu Pagoda is an architectural item with the function of entry and exit, separating the secular world from the spiritual world, representing the 'three views of Buddhism,' and also functioning as a bell tower. The gate is designed with three passageways, in the form of a two-tiered overlapping roof. The main passageway has two levels: the upper level has a glazed-tiled roof; four walls have openings decorated with the character 'longevity'—this is where a recently cast bell is hung; below is a plaque with three Chinese characters, the pagoda's literary name 'Linh Quang Tu,' and on both sides are pillars with a pair of raised couplets: 民盛/秀發光榮景物開 (Dinh sinh phuc loc dong dan thinh / Tu phat quang vinh canh vat khai). From the bodies of the two pillars of the main passageway, connecting to the two side pillars, are two side passageways also built in the form of two-tiered overlapping roofs with low walls built at an angle (according to the distance from the main passageway to the two small boundary pillars). This architectural item was built by the authorities and local people in 1997.
b) Outer front hall:
The outer front hall of Dinh Tu Pagoda is an architectural item built by the authorities and local people in 1933 and repaired in 1997. This item consists of three bays; the front is designed quite meticulously, with closed gable walls on both sides, and the rear is left open to connect with the Three Jewels area. Corresponding to the bays, the front has three passageways—the intervals between four boundary pillars. These pillars are designed quite simply, with square-edged moldings; the tops of the two side pillars are two nghê figures attached with ceramic shards on their bodies. Above the central passageway is a curved panel inscribed with the two characters 'Tu Bi'; above it is a flame of samadhi—a decorative symbol associated with Buddhism. Inside, corresponding to the bays, the roof trusses are linked on a plan with three rows of columns, according to the style 'upper stacked beams, lower seated brackets, seven eaves.' In the upper part of the truss in the central bay, the beam pressing against the head beam is modified into 'stacked beams, double brackets,' making the frame light and graceful. The characteristic of the tie beams linking the trusses is that they are kept smooth and fitted closely, leaning toward load-bearing capacity. In the side bay—against the left gable of the outer front hall—is placed a statue of Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva, also called Earth Store King Bodhisattva, whose task is to save sentient beings in hell and young children. Thus, in addition to its main function as the first sacred space where worshippers come to perform rituals before entering the Three Jewels, it is also a place to worship the deceased for whom memorial services are sent to the pagoda.
c) Inner front hall:
Past the outer front hall and a courtyard 1 m long is a five-step stairway leading up to the inner front hall. This architectural item consists of three bays and two wings, designed with closed gable walls, roofs covered with ri tiles, both ends of the ridge decorated with dinh marks, and the ends of the ridge built in two stepped tiers. Corresponding to the bays, the front is enclosed by a system of folding doors; inside are roof trusses supporting the roof linked in different ways: the truss in the central bay is of the 'upper giam chong ruong, lower ke ngoi, ke bay hien' type, and the trusses in the side bays are of the 'upper chong ruong, lower ke ngoi, ke bay hien' type. The load-bearing trusses are linked on a plan with four rows of columns; the columns have the characteristic 'upper mortised to create longitudinal links, lower standing on a system of stone bases at the column feet.'
Regarding the links of the trusses: connecting the tops of the two main columns is a large, strong head beam made by mortising the column tops and resting on brackets. Standing on the head beam are two hidden posts for the central-bay truss, and stacked beams through bearing blocks for the gable-bay truss. On the bodies of the hidden posts are two beams joined by mortise and tenon, and the other ends of the beams support the purlin tiers of the roof. The beams and hidden posts are left plain without carved decoration; only the boat-shaped bearing block—the junction between the uppermost beam of the trusses and the upper beam—is carved with the character 'longevity.' From the bodies of the main columns to the tops of the secondary columns is a lower beam planed smooth and fitted closely, leaning toward strength. On the beam is a seated bracket whose upper end is mortised through the main column to form a bracket; this bracket also supports the partition boards dividing the middle purlin tiers of the roof. From the secondary columns to the eave columns is a fairly long system of seven brackets creating a wide space for the veranda.
Overall, the inner front hall of Dinh Tu Pagoda is designed quite simply, in the artistic style of the 19th century. The structural members of the trusses lean toward load-bearing capacity; the purlin system is arranged in the 'upper three, lower four' style, with purlins of square and round shapes—evidence of the pagoda's restorations and repairs.
d) Upper sanctuary:
Connected to the central bay of the front hall are three bays of the upper sanctuary on a T-shaped plan. The two continuous items form the pagoda's Three Jewels area—the Three Jewels are the 'Three Treasures,' the three main foundations of Buddhism: Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha. For Dinh Tu Pagoda in particular and Mahayana pagodas in general, the upper sanctuary is a sacred space arranged with a system of worshipped statues—embodiments of figures in Buddhist history. The upper sanctuary of Dinh Tu Pagoda is designed enclosed on three sides, with the bays divided by trusses linked in a uniform way of tie-beam trusses resting on walls. Overall, the upper sanctuary of Dinh Tu Pagoda is an architectural item newly repaired in December of the Ky Mao year, so the wooden members are in good condition, meeting the requirements of worship and serving the religious needs of the people.
đ) Ancestor House:
The Ancestor House of Dinh Tu Pagoda is a work newly built in recent times, in the style of closed gable walls with three bays and a roof covered with ri tiles. Corresponding to the bays is a truss system uniformly linked in the style of tie-beam trusses resting on walls. Overall, the Ancestor House item of Dinh Tu Pagoda is planned separately from the Three Jewels area; this is a sacred space worshipping Patriarch Bodhidharma and the monks who once practiced at the pagoda.

e) Mother House:
Adjacent to the right of the Three Jewels area of Dinh Tu Pagoda is the Mother House architectural item, designed on a T-shaped overall plan comprising a front hall and a rear sanctuary. The items include three horizontal bays for the front hall and three vertical bays for the rear sanctuary connected to the central bay of the front hall. Corresponding to the bays of the front hall are trusses uniformly linked, standing on tie beams resting on walls in the style 'upper giam chong ruong, lower ke ngoi, stacked beams and hidden posts at the veranda'; the trusses of the rear sanctuary are linked in the tie-beam style.
Based on the Chinese characters recorded on the upper beam, 'Bao Dai sixteenth year, year of Tan Ky, eighth month, nineteenth day, dragon hour, newly built, great auspiciousness,' this architectural item was repaired by the local authorities and people at the dragon hour on the 19th day of the 8th month of the year of Tan Ky during the reign of Bao Dai.
Overall, the wooden members forming the roof trusses of the Mother House item at Dinh Tu Pagoda are mainly planed smooth and fitted closely, leaning toward the sturdiness of
the work. This is the space where statues are arranged according to the Mother Goddess worship—the indigenous worship belief of the Vietnamese people.

On the value of Dinh Tu Pagoda relic

Dinh Tu Pagoda, like many other pagodas in Northern Vietnam, worships Buddha according to the Mahayana school. The pagoda itself is like a Buddhist world with historical figures and a philosophical system advising people to do good, avoid evil, and always orient toward the true, the good, and the beautiful. Dinh Tu Pagoda is not merely a religious and spiritual relic type; in terms of outstanding value, it is also an architectural and artistic relic. Here, architecture in the Nguyen style is still preserved, along with a system of wooden statues dating from the late 18th century and the 19th century, typical among which are the three statues of the Buddhas of the Three Times, the Cundi Guanyin statue, and Amitabha on the Buddha altar...
These are not only sacred relics, embodiments of figures from the Buddhist world, but also demonstrate the skill of the carving artisans
Ancient statue. Over time, the pagoda, together with the communal house and Đĩnh Tú temple, has stood on a fairly large plot of land in the middle of the village, comprehensively planned to be spacious and solid. This place has truly become a cultural center, serving the religious and spiritual needs of the people of Đĩnh Tú. On holidays, Tet, and village festival days, the people turn to the communal house, temple, and pagoda with pride and gratitude toward their forebears, and by performing rituals and taking part in cultural activities they feel more closely bonded and united so as to pass down their experience in labor and production together.