Hưng Phúc Pagoda

Hưng Phúc Pagoda in Văn Quang village, Kiều Phú commune, Hà Nội city was ranked at city level under Decision No. 3480/QĐ-UBND dated August 7, 2020 of the Hà Nội City People's Committee

According to the accounts of elderly members of the monument management subcommittee, Hưng Phúc Pagoda was built long ago.
Accordingly, in the past the residents of Bương hamlet lived along the right bank of the Ngòi (the section of the Văn River of the historical Hoàng River), from Cộ Quéo mound to Đá Gãy culvert, called the 'Bên Trại' and 'Bên Thần' areas. Associated with Bương hamlet was Cả Pagoda (Hưng Phúc Pagoda). The old pagoda was located on an earthen mound next to the 'Bên Trại' and 'Bên Thần' areas.
In the reign of King Lê Thánh Tông, Hồng Đức era, year Canh Dần (1470), there was a great flood and the water rose continuously. The pagoda was also flooded, so the hamlet residents had to move to the land where the pagoda stands today.
At that time, the people of Văn Quang village had 5 hamlets: Bương, Tròn, Nội, Trại Ro and Đồi Muôn.
The elders and the people dug ponds in the land along the Ngòi, near Đá Gãy culvert, and took soil to raise the pagoda 1.70 m above the rice fields to avoid flooding.
Currently, Hưng Phúc Pagoda still preserves a stone stele named 'Hưng thiên địa trường tồn', dating from the Thành Thái era (1889-1907). The stele inscription records the restoration of the pagoda in the first year of Tự Đức (Mậu Thân 1848), the contributions of the elders, gentlemen, ladies, Văn Quang villagers and visitors from all directions to the construction, and the donations of local officials and the people of the 5 hamlets.
Hưng Phúc Pagoda also preserves a bronze bell dating from 1848.
Based on written documents still kept at the monument, such as the stone stele, bronze bell and royal edicts for Lưỡng quốc Trạng nguyên Nguyễn Trực dating from the Nguyễn dynasty; based on horizontal plaques, couplets and especially the system of free-standing statues in Nguyễn dynasty style, it can be inferred that the monument was formed from the Nguyễn dynasty or earlier (before the pagoda was restored in 1848).
* Restorations and repairs:
According to the content of the stele inscription and bronze bell, the pagoda was restored and embellished in the first year of Tự Đức (1848).
In 1991, the pagoda was rebuilt and has remained unchanged since then.
Nghĩa Hương is an ancient land with a long historical tradition, where traces and legends of the distant past about the building of the homeland from the time of
Hùng Vương founding and defending the country remain. Nghĩa Hương had names from when it was Kẻ Bương, then Nghĩa Bang Trang, including động, ấp and trại. Traditional crafts are still associated with ancient village names such as Bương Rổ and Bương Cót.
Historical monuments are associated with ancient village names such as Bương Đá Gãy and Bương Pagoda... Lying on the land of Nghĩa Hương, Văn Quang is an ancient land of the Vietnamese people on the migration route from the mountains down to the delta, so settlers early stopped and gathered on both sides of Ngòi Bương about 2,870 years BCE (according to the convention collected by Văn Khê village).
Văn Quang is a locality with a long-standing fine cultural tradition and ancient cultural works. Hưng Phúc Pagoda and the Từ Chỉ shrine of Văn Quang village are among the cultural and religious destinations of local people.
Like many other pagodas, Hưng Phúc Pagoda was first of all a place of Buddhist worship according to Mahayana Buddhism. Buddhism is a religion preached by Shakyamuni in northern India in the 6th century BCE.

The Hưng Phúc Pagoda and Từ Chỉ shrine of Văn Quang village complex is located in a small, peaceful and quiet alley. The pagoda includes the following items: three-entrance gate, front hall, upper sanctuary, Patriarch house and Mother house. The Từ Chỉ shrine is an item built in the form of a guest house...
the character Nhất. In addition, there are auxiliary works for the monument such as:
Overall, the architecture of Hưng Phúc Pagoda is still in good condition, while the Từ Chỉ shrine has seriously deteriorated. Regarding land, local authorities and people have coordinated with functional agencies to define boundaries and build surrounding walls, so there is no encroachment or dispute.

* Three-entrance gate: Visiting many pagodas in Vietnam, the first thing easily recognizable to visitors is the pagoda's three-entrance gate. The three-entrance gate consists of one main gate and two side gates in the form of a two-storey brick structure with arched doors. The central gate has two tiers of overlapping roofs; the upper tier has 8 roof slopes of imitation tubular tiles, and the lower roof is flat concrete. The two side gates have four roofs; the upper tier has 4 imitation tubular-tile roof slopes, and the lower tier has a flat concrete roof. The wooden doors are made in the 'upper lattice, lower panel' style. In the middle of the roof ridge is a fire-sun image, in the center is a yin-yang circle, and the roof corners are shaped like dragon heads. The gate is supported by 4 pillars. On top of the main gate pillars are four phoenixes holding a pearl. On top of the side gate pillars are nghê (mythical lion-like creatures) facing each other. Connecting from the side gate pillars to both sides is a low wall, followed by two ornamental pillars, with lantern-shaped panels above, lotus-bud tops and gourd-shaped bases. On the front and back faces of the pillars are rectangular frames with relief Chinese-character couplets. Connecting from the outermost pillars to both sides is the pagoda's enclosing wall.

* Front hall:
The front hall is a three-bay, two-wing horizontal house built in the style of gable walls with closed ends, roofed with Vietnamese tiles, and floored with red 30x30 cm bricks. From the courtyard, three brick steps about 30 cm high lead into the front hall. The front of the front hall has three doorways corresponding to the three central bays, made as hinged doors. In front of the two side bays, brick walls are built, with rectangular openings in the middle structured with lemon-flower-patterned bricks.
The front hall frame is made up of 6 roof trusses, uniformly made in the style of
'upper truss and lower brackets'. The two ends of the trusses rest directly on the walls; from the wall columns to the main columns at the rear runs a system of transverse crossbeams. On the crossbeams are two short columns standing on square, base-tapered blocks supporting the tie beams. The truss system is made of wood, without decoration, only smoothly planed and tightly fitted, and oriented toward durability.
The front hall has dimensions maintaining its architectural scale: width 4.5 m, length 10 m. The distances between bay steps are 1.5 m - 2.2 m - 2.4 m - 2.2 m - 1.5 m, and the distance from main column to main column is 3.7 m.
* Upper sanctuary: Connecting from the central bay of the front hall to the rear is the upper sanctuary, forming a T shape. The upper sanctuary is a three-bay longitudinal house built in the 'truss and lower bracket' style on two rows of columns. The ends of the brackets rest directly on the walls. The truss system in the upper sanctuary still maintains the same architectural style as the front hall: a wooden frame structure, smoothly planed and tightly fitted, oriented toward durability.
* Patriarch house: The Patriarch house is a one-bay horizontal house built with closed gable ends, roofed with Vietnamese tiles, floored with solid bricks, and its roof ridge is decorated with ridge tiles. The front has three hinged doorways.

Hưng Phúc Pagoda has a long history. It contains valuable sources for research and understanding of the formation and development history of an ancient land in Quốc Oai district. The monument complex contains values in many aspects:
* Historical value: Hưng Phúc Pagoda is a pagoda of the residents of Văn Quang village, former Nghĩa Hương commune (now Kiều Phú commune). The stele inscriptions, bronze bell and Buddha statues are valuable historical materials that help understand the history of the old pagoda. Studying the date of the pagoda's founding shows the long historical value of the monument on an ancient land. Hưng Phúc Pagoda is a place of Buddhist worship, Mother worship and Patriarch worship according to folk beliefs. These forms of worship all stem from people's aspirations and wishes for the best things. Among all the values existing in this life, the value of human happiness is the highest. The practical nature of Buddhism aims to lead people to liberation from suffering and to build a truly happy way of life. The Buddha himself once stated his greatest aspiration when he first appeared: 'I was born for the happiness and peace of gods and humans.' Here, the Buddha defined the value of 'Happiness' through his own life of practice, his own awakening, and his own teaching to save beings.
Mother Goddess worship and Ancestor worship are purely Vietnamese folk beliefs with a long history, adapting to social changes. Mother Goddess worship is oriented toward people's present life with aspirations for health, wealth, and luck; it is a need in the spiritual life of Vietnamese people, giving them strength and faith and attracting all classes in society. The heart is the core value of Mother Goddess worship. The Mother Goddess teaches people to live toward goodness, to have a pure heart, to know how to treat others, to worship ancestors, and to be grateful to those who have contributed to the people and the country.
Artistic and architectural value: Hưng Phúc Pagoda and the Từ Chỉ shrine of Văn Quang village were built in earlier years, and to this day they still retain the main architectural block from the time of restoration. The monument frame is structured with traditional wooden trusses. The truss system at Hưng Phúc Pagoda is oriented toward solidity. The truss system at the Từ Chỉ shrine of Văn Quang village, although deteriorated, still retains carved panels strongly bearing Nguyễn dynasty artistic style.
Here a rich system of relics is also preserved, such as stone steles, bronze bells, couplets and horizontal plaques... This system of materials has contributed to understanding the formation history of the monument on an ancient land. Through the ups and downs of history and war, those written materials have been preserved, treasured and safeguarded.
Located entirely within the residential area of Văn Quang village with a system of surrounding walls, the pagoda includes the front hall, upper sanctuary, Patriarch house and Mother house;
The Từ Chỉ shrine is a single house in the shape of the character Nhất. The monument complex acts as a cultural highlight on an ancient land.
Cultural and scientific values:
From ancient times, the image of "banyan tree, well, communal house yard" has been indispensable in ancient Northern Vietnamese villages. Van Quang is the same; the communal houses, pagodas, and shrines here not only have high historical and artistic value but are also places for collective cultural and religious activities. Here, on holidays and Tet, the village elders often come to offer sacrifices and pray for national peace and public welfare. In addition, the ancient pagodas and communal house roofs are also places that guide the souls of the homeland's children toward goodness, helping them know how to live virtuously and help life.