Tam Huyền Pagoda and the Tomb of Từ Vinh

Tam Huyền Pagoda, whose literary name is Sùng Phúc Tự, is located at No. 47, Alley 117, Khương Đình Street, Khương Đình Ward, Hanoi.

Tam Huyền Pagoda

Hạ Đình and Thượng Đình share the vernacular name Mọc (Nhân Mục Cựu), an ancient area on the bank of the Tô Lịch River, southwest of the former imperial city of Thăng Long.

According to ancient records, Tam Huyền Pagoda was built during the Lý dynasty, in the 11th–13th centuries, to pray for blessings for the villagers and is also associated with the historical figure Tăng quan Đồ án Từ Vinh, father of Zen Master Từ Đạo Hạnh (Từ Lộ). Từ Vinh, because he “offended Diên Thành Hầu (son of King Lý Thánh Tông), was persecuted to death.”

Because Zen Master Từ Đạo Hạnh was an enlightened and renowned figure of his time, successive dynasties issued edicts conferring on him the title of patron deity, and the people honored Từ Vinh as the Holy Father and worshipped him at Tam Huyền Pagoda.

Tam Huyền Pagoda has been repaired and renovated many times, notably in the Quý Sửu year of 1613, the 14th year of the Hoằng Định era, and the Canh Tý year (1780), the 41st year of the Cảnh Hưng era. In the early 20th century, the pagoda was severely damaged and collapsed, so it underwent major restoration in the Đinh Mùi year (1907), the second year of the Duy Tân era.

Through wartime, Tam Huyền Pagoda was destroyed. Since 1992, major restoration has recovered part of the monument’s original scale with the full essential components of a Buddhist pagoda. At present, the pagoda still preserves a number of valuable artifacts, such as stone inscriptions, carved stone couplets, and a stone threshold from the Lê dynasty. The pagoda also has many horizontal plaques, couplets, and intricately carved altar curtains of high artistic value.

Tam Huyền Pagoda was ranked as an architectural and artistic monument by the Ministry of Culture and Information in 1993.

According to Hanoi Landmarks and Relics, Volume 02