Mai Hien Pagoda

Mai Hien Pagoda also has the literary name Bao Quang Tu. During the resistance war against the French, Mai Hien Pagoda was a revolutionary base that secretly sheltered cadres.

Mai Hien Pagoda has a long history of construction. Based on the stele dated the 4th year of the Vinh Tho era (1661), it can be inferred that the pagoda was first built during the Later Le period and underwent many restorations. In 2009, the pagoda was renovated on the old foundation and has retained its architecture to this day.

The pagoda gate is built in the stacked-eave style with two roof tiers and opens with three entrances into the pagoda grounds. The main pagoda has a ground plan in the shape of the character “ding”. The front hall consists of three bays and two side wings, with four corners featuring curved corner upturns. At the center of the roof ridge is a large plaque inscribed with the pagoda’s literary name “Bao Quang Tu”. The finials and corner upturns are decorated with leaf-dragon motifs. The middle three bays are fitted with folding doors in the upper-lattice, lower-panel style, while the two gable-end bays have walls with windows in the shape of the character “Longevity”. 

The upper sanctuary connects to the central bay of the front hall, comprising three bays running lengthwise and forming a ground plan in the shape of the character “ding”. The trusses and columns in the front hall and upper sanctuary are made of concrete painted to imitate wood; the truss structure is of the upper giao chien type, with central stacked beams, front ke braces, and rear bay braces; the upper sanctuary has lower ke braces resting on the wall, and the purlin and rafter system is made of wood and covered with local tiles. The architectural decoration is simple, mainly consisting of raised edging. 

In the upper sanctuary, the statues are arranged symmetrically and harmoniously, all dating from the 19th century. At the top is the Tam The statue set; the next level consists of Manjushri Bodhisattva and Samantabhadra Bodhisattva standing on lotus pedestals. The third level is the Amitabha Trinity, with Amitabha Buddha in the center, Avalokiteshvara Bodhisattva on the left, and Mahasthamaprapta Bodhisattva on the right. The fourth level is Amitabha in walking posture, a statue seated in meditation on a lotus throne, with Ananda and Kashyapa on either side. The fifth level is the Jade Emperor, with Nam Tao and Bac Dau on either side. The sixth level is the Nine Dragons throne and the newborn Shakyamuni Buddha, with Kim Dong and Ngoc Nu on either side.

Against the rear wall of the upper sanctuary, two statues are arranged on either side: on the left is the statue

Quan Am Chuan De (thousand-eyed and thousand-armed); on the left is the statue of Quan Am Thi

Kinh. Along both sides of the Tam Bao, there used to be the location of the Tu Dien Thien

Vuong statue system, but now the pagoda has only three statues, replaced by a statue of Tho Dia. In the front hall there are statues of Duc Ong - Thanh Hien and the two Dharma protectors Khuyen Thien - Trung Ac. 

 The Ancestor Hall behind the main pagoda has a ground plan in the shape of the character “nhị”, with a front hall of five bays and two side wings, and a rear sanctuary of three bays and two side wings in the blind-gable end style; the truss structure is upper giao chien, central stacked beams, front ke, rear bay. The central bay has a stepped platform for displaying the Patriarch statues and those of monks who passed away at the pagoda.

The Mother Goddess Hall lies to the right of the pagoda and consists of five bays in the shape of the character “nhat”, built in the blind-gable style with ngai-style armrests; inside, an altar platform is built and arranged with sets of Mother Goddess statues such as the Tam Toa

Holy Mothers, the Five Venerable Lords, Quan Hoang, the Tran Dynasty, the Ladies, the Young Lords…

Mai Hien Pagoda still preserves valuable artifacts such as horizontal plaques, parallel sentences, altar curtains, and ancient incense burners… In particular, the system of round statues in the pagoda dates from the 19th century; one stele “Bao Quang Tu” dated the 4th year of the Vinh Tho era (1661), erected in the front yard of the pagoda; a stele “Hau Phat Bi Ky” dated the 13th year of the Minh Menh era (1832); a stele “Ky Ky Ban Xa” dated the 35th year of the Minh Menh era (1854); a bell “Bao Quang Tu” dated the 20th year of the Minh Menh era (1839). 

The Mai Hien Pagoda relic was ranked as a city-level historical and artistic relic under Decision No. 3400/QD-UBND dated July 28, 2007.