Monument type: Religious architectural-artistic monument in pagoda form.
Ranking level: Signed by Deputy Minister of Culture and Information Lưu Trần Tiêu in Decision No. 1811/1998-QĐ-BVHTT dated 31/08/1998, officially recognizing and ranking it as National-level Architectural and Artistic Relic.
Founding period: The pagoda was originally built in ancient times during the Lê–Mạc period (16th century). In the early Nguyễn period, the pagoda complex underwent major restoration and embellishment on a large scale, becoming spacious and solid as it appears today.
Religious function: The pagoda is a place of worship for Buddha and Bodhisattvas of the Mahayana tradition, serving the spiritual needs, nurturing love for fellow beings, and promoting goodness and deterring evil among local villagers for many centuries. Because of the consolidated contributions from two ancient pagodas in the area, its system of round statues and ritual objects here is extremely rich and rare.
The pagoda stands in isolation on a high mound shaped like a turtle outside the fields behind the village, creating a serene and solemn atmosphere. The ground plan of the components is arranged in sequence as follows:
Pagoda Gate (Three-Entrance Gate): A massive structure built in the rolled-arch style, 3 m wide and 4 m high. The upper tier has a lime-mortar scroll panel inscribed with a Han-character essay praising the Buddha Dharma. On both sides are side gates with curved knife-edge roofs covered in tubular tiles, connected to a row of imposing pillars.
Bell Tower: A structure attached behind the gate, with a rectangular ground plan of 3 bays. The central bay is built with two tiers of curving knife-edge roofs and relief decorations Two dragons adoring the moon in a solemn manner; inside hangs an ancient bronze bell. The two side bays have one tier and are surrounded and protected by a row of balusters.
Ceremonial Hall (Front Hall): A five-bay horizontal house with closed gable ends and a sloping roof covered with ri tiles. Its sturdy lim-wood frame is joined with tight mortise-and-tenon joints to bear loads on four rows of column bases, with the column bases set on round stone blocks. In the first bay of the left gable end is a wooden shrine carved with dragon heads and a statue of Đức Ông.
Upper Hall (Rear Hall): It lies parallel to the Ceremonial Hall behind it, across a narrow courtyard less than 1 m wide (the overall architectural ground plan forms the shape of the character Nhị ($\mathbf{=}$)). The Upper Hall consists of three spacious bays; the rear wall partitions divide it into gradually stepped altars to arrange the Buddha hall spaciously.
Auxiliary items: Behind and beside it are a synchronously planned row of the Mother Goddess house, the Patriarch house, and the stupa tomb area preserving the relics of abbots through generations.
Dương Khê Pagoda preserves a rich collection of relics dating from the Lê–Mạc period to the Nguyễn period:
Ancient stone and terracotta artifacts: 01 ancient stone stele with the reign title Vĩnh Tộ, fifth year (1623) placed in the pagoda courtyard; the stele's tympanum is carved in relief with dragons and intricate sinusoidal water waves, recording the names of those who contributed land to build the pagoda; and a pair of ancient cracked-glaze ceramic lamp stands from the Lê–Mạc period are extremely rare artistic antiquities.
System of round statues (45 gilded and lacquered wooden statues):
Tier 1 (Topmost): 3 statues Buddhas of the Three Times carved in the Lê period, seated in the dhyana mudra on a three-layered single-petal lotus throne with shallow carvings of ancient spiral hooks.
Tier 2: Set of statues Amitabha Trinity The largest in the main hall (the Amitabha statue with a swastika emblem on its chest, flanked by standing statues of Ananda and Mahakasyapa).
Floor 3: Statue Shakyamuni Holding a Lotus from the Le Trung Hung period, the right hand holds a lotus flower raised to face level, with delicate cloud-like folds of robe and sash.
Floor 4: Statue Thousand-Hand Thousand-Eye Guanyin (six pairs of hands holding Dharma treasures and forming mudras) seated on a lotus pedestal supported by a statue of the yaksha demon Ma-xoa raising it with both hands.
Floor 5: Statue of the Jade Emperor seated on a dragon-carved throne holding a ceremonial tablet clasped before the chest; on both sides are statues of a civil mandarin and the Earth God with feet braced, an altar to the Holy Monk wearing a robe tied with a banner sash, and an altar to Guanyin seated on a mountain on an 18th-century wooden rockery.
Outside: Pair of warrior general statues Dharma Protectors The large Khuyen Thien and Trung Ac sit on the backs of fierce lions guarding the door. Especially in the side bay, there is still preserved The worship niche and dragon throne with the spirit tablet of the village tutelary god (Thien Cuong Dai Vuong), 19th century, intricately carved with a dragon-horse and tiger tally.
Precious metal artifacts: 01 large bronze bell cast in the 4th year of Tu Duc's reign (1851) hung in the bell tower; the bell handle is in the form of a dragon straining to bear the weight, and the body is divided into 8 compartments with raised chrysanthemum-shaped striking bosses.
Other wooden and ceramic objects: 04 red-lacquered openwork altar screens, 03 pairs of Chinese-character couplets inlaid with mother-of-pearl, and a system of antique blue-painted ceramic incense burners.
Based on the cadastral map drawn in 1985 (Sheet No. 02, scale 1/1000) and the cadastral zoning record made on 17/03/1998, the monument protection area has established a legal corridor strictly prohibiting encroachment:
Protection Area I (Original Core Zone - Red): Includes the entire gate structure, bell tower, Tam Bao main hall, worship pedestals, Patriarch's house, Mother's house, monks' stupa tombs, and the entire inner temple garden. The land zoning boundary is determined as a closed line closely following the foot of the existing monument protection wall.
All activities of dismantling ancient wooden architectural components, encroaching on or filling the turtle-shaped earth mound, exchanging or relocating 45 Dharma statues and Le-era stone and ceramic antiquities outside the red zoning boundary of the monument are strictly prohibited by law and subject to criminal prosecution under the Law on Cultural Heritage.
