Khanh Ninh Pagoda
Introduction
Khanh Ninh Pagoda is located in Hamlet 3, Ninh Hiep, Phu Dong Commune.
The pagoda is a place of Buddhist worship and a venue for religious activities of the local community.
Based on the artifacts still preserved at the pagoda: a bell bearing the era name Chinh Hoa van van nien (1680–1705) or a stele inscribed Khanh Ninh Tu with the era name Canh Hung 14 (1753), and the system of statues, it can be inferred that Khanh Ninh Pagoda was built during the Le dynasty and renovated during the Nguyen dynasty.
The pagoda was built by ancestors at an auspicious location at the head of the village, on high, open ground facing northeast; its architectural components include the three-entrance gate, courtyard, main pagoda, Patriarch's house, and Mother Goddess house.
The artistic value of the relic is concentrated in its system of round statues, which are fairly standard examples of the sculpture art of the period.
The first layer, highest and deepest, is the set of statues of the Buddhas of the Three Times, whose full name is 'Tam The Thuong Tru Dieu Phap Than'.
The second layer has the Amitabha statue in the center, Quan The Am on the left, and Dai The Chi on the right.
The third layer is Quan Am Chuan De.
The fourth layer is the Jade Emperor statue, with Nam Tao and Bac Dau statues on either side.
The fifth layer is the Nine Dragons throne – the infant Shakyamuni.
The sixth layer is the Maitreya statue.
The seventh layer is the statue of Shakyamuni Entering Nirvana.
Besides the Buddha statues, the Patriarch statues of Khanh Ninh Pagoda also bear strong folk characteristics and are imbued with the humanity inherent in our nation. The liveliness of each statue carries the value of traditional folk sculpture art.
The presence of the relic together with its artifacts is a valuable source of materials for studying the formation and development of the local system of religious and belief relics, the history of Vietnamese Buddhism, and the history of the formation and development of the Ninh Hiep countryside.
Khanh Ninh Pagoda was classified by a decision issued by the Hanoi City People's Committee in 2013.
