Phu Luu Thuong Pagoda

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Introduction

INTRODUCTION TO THE NATIONAL RELIC COMPLEX:
DINH - DEN - PAGODA OF PHU LUU THUONG VILLAGE, HOA XA COMMUNE

Dear guests!

We respectfully invite visitors to come and visit National relic complex: Dinh - Den - Pagoda of Phu Luu Thuong Village, Hoa Xa Commune - a place where the essence of culture, history, and distinctive spirituality converges.

About 60 km from the center of Hanoi capital, Phu Luu Thuong Village, Hoa Xa Commune, Hanoi City, has a complex of relics built long ago close to one another: an ancient dinh, a den, and a pagoda nestling under rows of perennial trees that spread cool shade and a lingering fragrance from the past - present - to the future, sacred through all ages.

The combination of heroic history and breathtaking natural landscape has made this place an important cultural address, preserving the soul of the Vietnamese countryside over thousands of years.

The beauty of this terrain, combined with the shade of ancient trees more than 300 years old and the gentle, poetic Day River, has turned the relic complex into a fascinating stop for pilgrims on their way to Huong Pagoda and Bai Dinh Pagoda.

This is a land of sacred land and outstanding people with precious terrain: the relic complex was built on land shaped like “Lotus flower” (which is the Dinh - Den) and “Turtle” (which is the Pagoda). The road connecting the three relics is likened to "lotus stem" soft and graceful, creating a harmonious connection in both architecture and distinctive spirituality.

According to local historical sources, the terrain “Lotus flower” and “Turtle” is not only a description of topography but also embodies the profound cultural and feng shui ideas of the ancients in Phu Luu Thuong Village.

The Dinh - Den - Pagoda relic complex of Phu Luu Thuong Village is not only a sacred symbol of the nation's indomitable spirit but also a "precious gem" distinctive cultural and landscape feature of Hoa Xa homeland.

Arriving here, visitors can admire the carvings Four Sacred Creatures, Four Noble Plants elaborate, unique ancient statues such as the Tam The statue set with a rare halo and the Bronze Book – a priceless historical treasure of our ancestors.

The relic complex is not only a pride in the nation's patriotic tradition and resistance against foreign invaders but also a stop to admire the outstanding cultural beauty of the Hoa Xa countryside

We invite you to learn about the historical and cultural values of the relic structures and the legendary stories of the land and people here in the next section.

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Story

01I. PHU LUU THUONG DINH

Welcome local people and visitors to Phu Luu Thuong Dinh - a national-level architectural and artistic relic, preserving the cultural soul and pride of the heritage land.

Phu Luu Thuong Dinh is an ancient communal house with age-old architecture that marks the ups and downs and changes of the nation's history. It was ranked as a national-level architectural and artistic relic under Decision No. 65/QD-BT dated February 16, 1995, of the Ministry of Culture and Information.

Phu Luu Thuong Dinh was built facing southwest; in front of the dinh is the gentle, poetic Day River dike, which is also an inter-commune road leading pilgrims to Huong Pagoda and Bai Dinh Pagoda. On the way to Huong Son, the realm of Buddha, pilgrims passing here stop to admire a countryside with fascinating scenery. That is the gate of Phu Luu Thuong Dinh with a system of columns, pillars, enclosing walls, gates, and moldings built by the ancients long ago, now moss-covered, appearing and disappearing under the shade of four ancient Dai trees more than 300 years old. The rough trunks of the Dai trees stretch their branches and show their leaves beside the ancient dinh gate. In spring, Dai flowers bloom white, perfuming the whole peaceful countryside.

The people of Phu Luu Thuong are also proud of a beautiful legend; according to the imagination of the ancients, the dinh land is a high, clear, noble, and refined terrain. It is the image of “Lotus Flower” and the stem of the lotus flower is the road running from the Dinh down to the Den.

The first item before entering the relic is the Nghi Mon, built in the style of a pillar with an enclosing wall system. The pillar is 4 m high, with a square cross-section, decorated with floral motifs. Beside the main pillar is a gate built in the two-tier, eight-roof overlapping eave style. The eave collar bears four raised Chinese characters on the theme “Eastern Wall Illustrated Book”.

Entering the communal house through an ancient gate system built in the overlapping-eaves style with 2 tiers and 8 roofs, on the upper eaves are four raised Chinese characters “Long Đức, Central Uprightness” and raised motifs on the themes “Eastern Wall Picture Sequence”.

Passing through a brick-paved courtyard leads to Đại Bái đình. Đại Bái đình was built in the ancient architectural style shaped like the character Nhất (-) consisting of 3 bays and 2 side wings, 10.0 m long and 7.8 m wide. Đại Bái đình is still fairly intact. The communal house has a low profile; its roof is covered with old ri tiles, with curved Long hồi đao corners. On the ridge are raised dragon-goose ornaments, and in the middle is a band of lemon flowers made of terracotta. On the edge ridge there are also three pairs of Kìm and Sô figures made of dark ash-colored fired ceramic.

Inside the communal house is an ancient interior space that still preserves fairly intact the exquisite traditional carvings of our ancestors, which are still preserved and handed down.

According to legend, the communal house was built in the Lê dynasty and was renovated through various periods; therefore, the central trusses are made in the chồng rường style, while the two end trusses are made in the giá chiêng style. The dư heads are also created in both Lê and Nguyễn dynasty styles, coexisting to this day. With a structural form of four rows of wooden feet, both the main columns and the secondary columns are made of lim wood. It can be said that the frame of the communal house is still sturdy and rarely seen today.

From the main column system to the secondary columns of Đại Bái đình Phù Lưu Thượng is the xà nách system; the xà nách are carved in relief with cloud and leaf motifs, stacked with square blocks. The square blocks are also carved in relief with flowers and leaves and have characters incised “Longevity”. In particular, on the inner xà nách system, on the right side, the ancients carved in relief a Nghê - a creature symbolizing boundless strength in the Vietnamese mind. In addition to the above motifs, at Đại Bái đình Phú Lưu Thượng architectural details such as kẻ and bảy were all carved in relief with the Four Seasons and Four Sacred Creatures very elaborately and skillfully.

Inside the communal house, the truss sets are fairly intact and date from the Lê dynasty. These truss sets are made in the “chống rường” style on 4 lim wood columns, with a system of horizontal and vertical beams linking the truss sets together. The carving art is mainly concentrated at the dư heads carved in the shape of dragon heads, their bodies covered with đao mác and đao chớp motifs. On the bodies of the kẻ and bẩy, dragons, phoenixes and floral motifs are carved in relief. In the central bay is a large altar, lacquered and gilded; this is a sculpture created in the early 19th century. On the altar are many valuable ritual objects, including the long ngai and tablet set worshiping the village tutelary god Lý Bí (542-548) - the national hero who drove out the Liang invaders, regained autonomy for the nation, and established the Vạn Xuân state in the 6th century.

The bronze thần phả book currently kept at the communal house says that participating in this uprising was also the King's son, Prince Lý Đê, who persuaded many people in Đặng Xá and Phù Lưu to join the army and kill the enemy.

The current interior of the communal house is very splendidly decorated. In the center is a large lacquered horizontal plaque with four large characters “Restored Glory, Renewed Destiny” - meaning that King Father Lý Bí and Prince Lý Đê together brought glory to the nation's destiny. On the two main columns hang a pair of parallel sentences, lacquered and fully gilded.

- The trace of Lan Khê: throughout the commune, fame is passed down, and iron-like righteousness remains.

02- Together with Thiện Tự, for a thousand autumns, true virtue establishes compassion.

In the center of Đại Bái is a large altar, made in the quần style, covered with silver and fully gilded - this is a Nguyễn dynasty artifact from the 19th century. On the altar are a pair of wooden cranes, an incense bowl, a flower vase, an iron box and some ritual objects. At the top is the long ngai and tablet worshiping the village tutelary god. Some ancient artifacts such as the Gươm trường, Bát Bửu and some objects such as y môn and tàn lọng… are also displayed here, so the interior of the communal house looks very solemn.

Đình Phù Lưu Thượng together with the temple has preserved precious artifacts: three long ngai, tablets, 11 royal edicts and especially the ancient bronze thần phả book “Phù Lưu xã, Thượng thôn thần tích cổ lục”, made of bronze, consisting of 14 bronze leaves with holes punched deep at the spine and bound together into a book measuring 19 cm by 14 cm with two front and back cover leaves; the book still has 12 leaves engraved with characters, each leaf about 120 characters with about 1,500 characters, written in the Hồng Phúc era (1572, 1573) and copied by Nguyễn Hiển in the 3rd year of Vĩnh Hựu, 1737, recording the origins of the village's tutelary gods.

We invite you to stop once at Đình Phù Lưu Thượng to admire the exquisite, vivid carving art on every wood grain, showing the talented hands of ancient artisans, and to learn about the spirit records, royal edicts and the solemn worship tradition rich in Vietnamese identity. To enjoy the tranquility and antiquity under the banyan tree shade in the communal courtyard, where time seems to stand still. And to feel the breath of history, admire the distinctive architectural art and wish for a peaceful, lucky life.

The Đình Phù Lưu Thượng relic site is always open to welcome local people and pilgrims from all directions to come and worship!

03II. PHÙ LƯU THƯỢNG TEMPLE

Welcome visitors to Phù Lưu Thượng Temple - a national-level historical and cultural relic, a spiritual destination that converges traditional beauty and historical depth.

Phù Lưu Thượng Temple is called Mẫu Temple because beside it is the tomb of Mrs. Phương Dung, the wife (secondary consort) of King Lý Nam Đế (one of the few Vietnamese kings who proclaimed himself Emperor before foreign powers).

Phù Lưu Thượng Temple was built in the shape of the character Đinh (J), including two components: Đại Bái and Hậu Cung.

Đại Bái is 8.20 m long and 5.70 m wide, divided into 3 bays.

In terms of landscape, according to the ancients' conception, this is a plot of land that is “Auspicious site” - in the pond rises a high mound of earth; in the imagination of the ancients, it was the stalk of a lotus branch whose flower was the village communal house. This place was also built by the ancients with a system of pillars and enclosing walls. Passing through the gate system into the temple courtyard leads to the Đại Bái building. Looking from outside the Đại Bái, at the two gable ends there are two pillars with raised lantern and nghê chầu decorations; the two gable ends are built with closed gables. The landscape here is tranquil, partly because of the system of perennial ancient trees and the 7-mẫu lake to the right and behind the Temple.

In terms of architecture, after renovations and embellishments, currently the Đại Bái building of Phú Lưu Thượng Temple is built with giá chiêng trusses and a system of 4 rows of wooden feet. The technique favors durability, smooth planing, tight joining, and relief carving of motifs with themes “Four Seasons” and “Four Sacred Creatures”.

Passing through a small Long courtyard leads to the Hậu Cung building - the solemn place of the temple. The Hậu Cung is 10.20 m long and 5.0 m wide, divided into two parts: Tiền Tế and Hậu Cung.

The outside of the Tiền Tế part has raised đao heads, and the roof is covered with old di tiles. The interior is arranged with a large altar; here hang horizontal plaques

04- Shrine of the Deity

05May the Holy Palace live ten thousand years

Relief-carved door of the rear palace “Two dragons adoring the moon”. There are two small doors into the rear palace; on the doors are relief carvings of dragons and phoenixes. It is noteworthy that the dragon motif here is carved with a flared mouth, bulging eyes, and ears like drooping ears, bearing the artistic style of the Tay Son period at the end of the 18th century.

The rear palace of Phu Luu Thuong Temple is arranged with two levels of dragon thrones and spirit tablets. The front spirit tablet worships General Dien Ngoc Lo, a general of King Ly Nam De in Lam Son, Thanh Hoa, who, together with Prince Ly De, son of King Ly Nam De, had the merit of defeating the generals of the Liang dynasty, Nguy Khac Uy and Nguy Khac Hung.

Finally, on a large wooden niche, a dragon throne and spirit tablet are arranged to worship Prince Ly De, son of King Ly Nam De, and Lady Phi Phuong Dung - the talented and beautiful daughter of Phu Luu Thuong village in the 6th century.

Related to the Temple is also the tomb of Lady Phuong Dung, concubine of Ly Nam De and mother of Prince Ly De. According to the genealogy, when she died, King Ly Nam De had soldiers escort her back to her homeland for burial. Legend says her tomb was originally open to the sky. It is unknown in which era the ancients built an arched vault and roofed it with old ri tiles. Inside the vault is a dragon throne instead of a spirit tablet, with a mirror stand and two chests containing shoes and hats.

In front of the tomb house is a lacquered horizontal plaque inscribed:

06“Great indeed is the vast source”

Rough translation: praising the greatness and vastness of the earth’s generative and embracing nature, which nurtures all things (like a mother) and follows Heaven’s mandate.

And a pair of couplets:

- The compassionate Buddha descends on Huong Son; above all, maternal virtue manifests gracious merit.

- Auspicious flowers remain at Hat wharf; for a thousand autumns, abundant blessings flow down.

With the ancient bronze genealogy book currently kept at the communal house, together with the tomb of Lady Phi Phuong Dung beside Prince Ly De and General Dien Ngoc Lo, the Phu Luu Thuong Temple relic provides a rare source of information and historical material.

We respectfully invite visitors to visit Phu Luu Thuong Temple to learn about origins, express gratitude, and pray for good things and peace; to offer incense of the heart, remember the predecessors, and feel the solemn beauty of a heritage land of Hoa Xa homeland.

We are very pleased to welcome visitors from all directions!

07PHU LUU THUONG PAGODA

Dear guests!

Phu Luu Thuong Pagoda is a national-level historical and cultural relic. This is an ancient pagoda built on beautiful terrain beside a large lake, with a system of perennial trees and spacious, airy surroundings. Next to the pagoda is the tomb of a consort of King Ly Nam De, a daughter of Phu Luu Thuong village and mother of Prince Ly De, who had the merit of fighting the Liang invaders in the 6th century.

Phu Luu Thuong Pagoda was built on the same plot of land as the temple and the tomb - the tomb of Lady Phuong Dung, concubine of King Ly Nam De.

The relic was built outside the dyke of the Day River, about 300 m from the village. According to legend, Phu Luu Thuong Pagoda was built in ancient times to worship Buddha according to the Mahayana school. The pagoda was built next to the tomb of the concubine of King Ly Nam De (6th century) - a dynasty that greatly respected Buddhism, as shown by the construction of Khai Quoc Pagoda (opening the country).

According to the ancient bronze book currently kept at the communal house (the village communal house genealogy written in the third year of Vinh Huu (1737)), when the concubine died, she was brought back for burial in her homeland of Phu Luu Thuong. Today the two relics are close to each other.

Phu Luu Thuong Pagoda was built on beautiful terrain. Standing on the dyke and looking down, beneath the shade of perennial trees, the moss-covered pagoda roof appears; around the pagoda is a large pond, a branch of the Day River that changed course in the past. Facing this open, wide landscape, visitors and local people passing by all stop to look and admire. The ancients of Phu Luu Thuong believed that this terrain was precisely the terrain “Turtle”. The precious animal in this “Four Sacred Creatures” system has two faces, which are the two earthen wells, the underground water surface of the Day River; the turtle’s mouth holds a lotus branch, and the lotus flower is the land where the village communal house stands. It is only known that the road “Lotus branch” has linked the three ancient relics of the village into a beautiful architectural complex, related to one another in the religious beliefs and culture of this Phu Luu Thuong land.

Entering the pagoda, in front of the pagoda gate is a Tam Quan gate built with two tiers and four roofs. The Tam Quan structure is entirely of good wood. The three-entrance gate has three arched doors, gable ends closed with brick, and two pillars in relief.

Passing through Tam Quan, one comes to a wide courtyard planted with flowers and perennial trees; on the right side of the courtyard is an earthen well called Turtle Eye, about 70 square meters, round in shape - where from past to present villagers have come to fetch drinking water on the way to the main pagoda.

Phu Luu Thuong Pagoda has an architecture in the shape of the letter (I) cong, including the Bai Duong hall and the Thuong Dien hall.

The Bai Duong hall is 10.0 m long and 6.1 m wide, divided into three bays and two side wings. The architectural structure follows the form of four rows of wooden feet with trusses in the trong giuong style. The main columns are 4.3 m high, the military columns 3.0 m high, and there is a system of folding doors at the front. The interior of the Bai Duong hall is spacious and airy, providing space for worshippers to perform rituals. Here only two statues, of the Earth God and the Holy Monk, are arranged in the two end bays. Also in the left bay there is a large bell cast in the eighteenth year of Gia Long (1819).

In the interior of the central bay of Bai Duong hall is arranged an ancient incense table, 1.84 m long, 1.0 m wide, and 1.18 m high, carved with “Eight Immortals Crossing the Sea” and a fairly elaborate relief carving of the eight Arhats riding animals: fish, turtle, dragon, horse, clouds…

In the center is a relief carving “Fish and Dragon Playing in the Water” as a decorative highlight. “Four Seasons”. The pagoda also has many antiques and artifacts lacquered in the early Nguyen dynasty, 19th century; the gable ends and horizontal plaques are all vermilion-lacquered and gilded or lacquered.

The content of the wooden plaques all praises the pagoda and the Buddha:

08“Golden body carved by the sun”.

09'Dragon and flower gathering'.

10'Incense offered before the altar, auspicious air gathers'.

11'Flowers bloom on the tray, rivaling the happy palace'.

On the truncated beams, brackets… the ancients carved stylized dragons and flowers and leaves.

Connected to the Bai Duong (Worship Hall) is the Thuong Dien (Upper Hall) – this architectural item runs parallel to the Bai Duong, divided into 4 bays, 10.1 m long x 6.0 m wide, made of lim wood. Its architecture tends toward solidity, smoothly planed and tightly joined, roofed with old ri tiles. This Thuong Dien hall has a height from ground to roof of 4.20 m. In this space, a platform was built to arrange 5 tiers of Buddha statues, with platforms rising from low to high, and an arch built of old bricks.

After the pagoda are the Ancestor House, guest house and flower garden. Here, the Three Holy Mothers and the Buddhist patriarchs are worshipped.

Overall, the pagoda emphasizes depth, with a front yard and a back yard, enclosed from the Tam Quan gate to the guest room.

Phu Luu Thuong Pagoda still preserves the following relics:

- 4 horizontal plaques.

- 4 couplets.

- 1 bell from the Gia Long period (1919).

- 3 bronze incense burners.

- 1 Tho Ha ceramic incense burner.

- 8 wooden lampstands.

- 1 offering tray.

- 2 lacquered and gilded wooden shrines.

- 3 incense altars (Nguyen dynasty).

- 1 gilded palanquin (Ba Mui Luyen palanquin).

The pagoda has a fairly complete system of Buddha statues, arranged in many tiers, made of lacquered and gilded wood, along with precious relics.

- The top tier of statues in the Thuong Dien hall: are 3 Tam The statues representing the three ages of Buddha: Past, Present and Future. Carved from lacquered and gilded wood. All three statues are relatively similar, placed at the main altar of the central bay of the Thuong Dien hall; each statue is 0.94 m high and 0.75 m wide, seated on a lotus throne, with hands in the Dinh An mudra.

- The second tier of statues: is the Amitabha statue. This is one of the largest statues in Phu Luu Thuong Pagoda. The statue is carved from lacquered and gilded wood, seated on a lotus throne. Its eyes look down, its mouth slightly smiles, and a swastika character is carved in relief on its chest. Its hands are in the Dinh An mudra; the statue is 1.09 m high and 0.67 m across the knees.

- The third tier of statues: are the two Bodhisattva statues. Both are carved standing. Their heads wear golden Buddha crowns, and their garments are carved continuously with the body in very graceful, harmonious folds. Both are 1.14 m high.

- The fourth tier of statues: is the Quan The Am Tong Tu statue. It is carved in a seated position. The right hand holds the child Hai Dong, the left hand rests on the knee. The statue is 1.12 cm high.

- The fifth tier of statues: are two statues: on the left is the Thai Thuong Lao Quan statue, 1.04 m high; on the right is the Da Van Thien Vuong statue. According to Buddhist studies, the statue holds a tongue in its hand, meaning silent recitation for contemplation; the tongue is made of diamond, so it is also called the 'Diamond Word'. This statue is 1.11 m high.

- The sixth tier of statues in the Thuong Dien: is the Cuu Long statue. This Cuu Long throne is carved with 9 dragons, lacquered and gilded, attending upon the infant Shakyamuni Buddha, and below are 2 Great Heavenly King statues. These are 2 statues whose function is to protect Shakyamuni Buddha and the Dharma in general. Both statues are carved standing. Their costumes are carved in the style of military mandarins, 1.1 m high. It can be said that the carving art of these 2 statues reaches a high level.

The final tier of statues: in the Bai Duong hall are the Earth Deity and Holy Monk statues. Both are carved from wood. In particular, the ancients arranged them in wooden shrines, with relief carvings of the Four Sacred Creatures and lacquer and gilding to show respect.

Phu Luu Thuong Pagoda is located in a spacious, airy and beautiful area. In addition to worship, it is also a sightseeing spot for visitors on the way to the Huong Pagoda festival.

The relic was extensively restored in the 18th year of Gia Long, 1819. In 1990, local people restored the Tam Quan gate.

You are invited to visit Phu Luu Thuong Pagoda to enjoy the fresh air, immerse yourself in the cool green nature and the solemn tranquility of the ancient pagoda, to find peaceful moments, offer incense and pray for well-being, and explore the cultural depth of this heritage land.

It is a great honor to welcome local people and visitors from all directions!

Hoa Xa, May 2026

Thi Vu, Culture and Social Affairs Office of Hoa Xa Commune (TV)

Phu Luu Thuong Pagoda

Introduction

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