Nguyen Xa Pagoda — Hà Nội Go

Nguyen Xa Pagoda — Hà Nội Go

03System of rare antiquities and Buddhist statues

The inventory records of the Relic Management Board note that the pagoda preserves a large number of typical artistic artifacts, including:

Invaluable metal antiquities: 01 ancient bronze bell cast in the 6th year of Canh Thinh (1798) under the Tay Son dynasty. The bell body is cylindrical, the flared mouth is decorated with a lattice pattern, the handle is carved with two dragons with their backs touching to bear the weight, four bell knobs are cast in relief with blooming chrysanthemum flowers placed in leaf-shaped panels, and the bell body is engraved with a Chinese-character inscription (photographic evidence at photo of Tao Khe Pagoda.pdf).
System of round statues of the Nguyen dynasty (22 statues):
- Buddha altar in the Upper Hall: The highest tier places 3 statues Buddhas of the Three Times seated in meditation, forming the samadhi mudra, lacquered and gilded on a thick-petaled lotus pedestal. Next is a set of statues Amitabha Trinity including a large Amitabha statue in the center (with no swastika character carved on the chest) and two assistants, Avalokitesvara and Mahasthamaprapta Bodhisattvas, standing in attendance. The lower tier places a statue Cundi Avalokiteśvara with six pairs of arms spreading wide and holding exquisite Dharma treasures, flanked by attendant statues Tien Dong and Ngoc Nu. Below are statues of the Jade Emperor, Earth Deity, Mountain Deity, and Nine Dragons throne of wood carved with nine dragon heads spouting water winding around the statue of the infant Shakyamuni.
- Front Hall: Placed here are the statue of Duc Ong (Lord Anathapindika, a red-faced civil mandarin wearing a winged hat sitting on an ancient altar) and the statue of Duc Thanh Hien forming a tranquil mudra.
- Ancestor House & Mother Goddess House: Placed are the statue of Patriarch Bodhidharma with a white face and full beard; the statues of the Three Holy Mothers wearing three-colored robes (Thuong Thien in yellow in the center, Mother Earth, Mother Water) and the statue of Saint Tran wearing royal robes and holding a tablet.
Other precious artifacts: 01 antique Phu Lang ceramic incense burner with eel-skin glaze from the 19th century (carved with two dragon ears); combined with carved openwork curtain-door panels depicting Four Seasons transformed into dragons, phoenixes in attendance, horizontal plaque inscribed with characters "Phổ Ứng Temple", the intricate mother-of-pearl inlaid black-background brocade scrolls bearing the character Vạn.