Tu Xa Pagoda

Tu Xa Pagoda is the name of an ancient pagoda that formerly belonged to the territory of four communes: Bot Xuyen, Lai Tao, Phu Huu, and Tao Khe, My Duc district. The pagoda is also called Thuy Van Tu, or Kho Pagoda.

The pagoda is in Lai Tao village, Bot Xuyen commune, My Duc district, but it is the common pagoda of four villages. The pagoda has a front hall for deities and rear hall for Buddha structure. In addition to worshipping Buddha according to the Mahayana tradition, the pagoda also worships deities whose legends are associated with the village.

According to the register of deities dated the 12th year of Bao Dai (1937) still kept at the pagoda, Tu Xa Pagoda worships a deity named Van Mong. In addition to Tu Xa Pagoda, the people of Giap Bon village, Tuy Lai commune, also built a temple and a shrine to worship her.

Van Mong was born on the 5th day of the 5th lunar month in 1042 under the reign of Ly Thai Tong (1028–1054), and was a native of Son Lang commune, Son Ninh district. At the age of 16, she went to Tu Xa Pagoda to become a nun. In 1069, Champa sent troops to invade our country, and she left the pagoda to take refuge. On the way to escape, she learned how to cure diseases. When the country was at peace, she returned to the pagoda and treated many villagers in the area. When she passed away, the people, moved by her kindness and virtue, set up an altar to her in the front hall of the pagoda.

Over time, the pagoda fell into disrepair. The people contributed their efforts, hearts, and property to repair it; the largest restoration was in 1942.

The system of statues is arranged in the following order: at the top are the three statues of the Three Times Buddhas; next are the Three Worthies of Amitabha with Amitabha, Avalokitesvara, and Mahasthamaprapta; below are Maitreya and Snow Mountain; the next row is the Thousand-Handed and Thousand-Eyed Guanyin; the fifth row is the Jade Emperor with Nam Tao and Bac Dau on either side; finally is Sakyamuni with nine dragons. On either side of the front hall are the statues of Khuyen Thien and Trung Ac, the statues of Duc Ong and the Holy Sages; deeper in the front hall are statues of the Eight Vajra Deities standing and statues of Zen masters. These statues date from the Le and Nguyen dynasties.

The pagoda also preserves a pair of stone dragons dating from the Ly dynasty, an incense burner from the Tran dynasty, a stone stele from the Mac dynasty, a wooden horse from the Le dynasty, a bell from the Tay Son period...

Before 1945, at this pagoda, Mr. Le Ton Trung helped, and Mr. Van Tien Dung, Mr. Bui Quang Tao... built up the revolutionary movement, preparing for the general uprising to seize power in the south of the former Ha Dong province. During the resistance war against the French colonialists, the pagoda was also a workplace of the Resistance Administrative Committee and a shelter for many officials in the district.

Tu Xa Pagoda was ranked as a historical-cultural relic by the Ministry of Culture and Information in 1991.