Yen Binh Pagoda, Gia Lam Commune

Yen Binh Pagoda belongs to Yen Binh Village, Duong Xa Commune, Gia Lam District, Hanoi. The pagoda is named after the village place name, Yen Binh Pagoda, also called An Binh. In addition, the relic also has the Han-character name “Sung Linh Tu”.

The pagoda was built on the ancient land of Duong Xa, the main settlement area of ancient Vietnamese people. Based on the date 1856 inscribed on the bronze bell “Sung Linh Tu Bell” it is known that the relic was extensively repaired in this year. This repair also left the relic with its current architectural condition.

Yen Binh Pagoda was built on a high plot of land in the middle of the village, comprising the main pagoda in the shape of the character đinh and the ancestral house to the left of the pagoda.

The front hall consists of five bays and two side aisles. The two gable walls are built extending outward and end with decorative pillars. On top of the decorative pillars is a shape formed by four phoenix birds with their tails joined together; the lantern panel below is decorated with the four seasons motif. The frame of the front hall is linked by six roof trusses, firmly made in two different forms: the two gable trusses have a “chong ruong gia chieng” structure with five rows of feet. The ridge truss has a “gia chieng chong ruong con nhi” structure, with two beams meeting through square bearing blocks tapered at the bottom. This structural part closes the gia chieng section of the two central trusses, creating the impression of a “con me” truss type. Supporting the roofs of the main and secondary columns in the side trusses is a system of continuous braces; in the two central trusses are corner trusses of the chong ruong type. The building has a wide veranda corresponding to five purlin spans. Supporting the veranda roofs are long, curved veranda braces decorated with plant motifs.

The back wall of the two side bays was built high with brick to form altars; the left one houses the statue of the Holy Monk, and the right one houses the statue of Duc Ong.

Connected to the central bay of the front hall is the upper sanctuary. The upper sanctuary is a longitudinal building of four bays. The wooden frame consists of four trusses of the “chong ruong gia chieng” type with two rows of feet. The ridge truss has a “gia chieng chong ruong con nhi” structure.

The arrangement of worship statues on the Buddha hall is as follows:

At the top, in the most solemn position, are three Tam The statues (the eternal Dharma body), representing the three Buddha worlds: past, present, and future.

The second layer is the Amitabha Trinity, comprising the Amitabha statue seated in the center, with Avalokiteshvara and Mahasthamaprapta on either side.

The third layer is the Cundi Avalokiteshvara statue in the center, flanked by two Bodhisattva statues.

At the bottom is the statue of the infant Shakyamuni, flanked by the statues of Nam Tao and Bac Dau. On both sides, close to the gable wall of the upper sanctuary, is a high brick platform bearing the Ten Courts of Hell, the Earth God, Quan Am Thi Kinh, and the Hau statue.

In the passage between the upper sanctuary and the front hall are two statues, Khuyen Thien and Trung Ac. These two statues are large and decorated with many patterns on their robes and armor.

Immediately adjacent to the upper sanctuary is the Mother worship altar, separated by a thin partition. The Mother statues are placed on altars that rise progressively from the outside inward.

Across a narrow courtyard is the ancestral house, built in the style of a gable wall with a closed end, comprising three bays and one side wing, with a wide veranda.

The artistic decoration of the architecture is concentrated mainly in the four corner bracket panels at the two trusses of the central bay of the front hall and some motifs at the ends of beams, truss bodies, and veranda braces. The four corner bracket panels are decorated with leaf and plant motifs at the ends of the truss bars on the square bearing blocks, creating the impression of a blooming flower. The gia chieng part is closed with wooden boards. The decorative themes are very rich, such as floral and leaf motifs, wine gourds, musical instruments, mai lao, dragons carrying the wheel of reincarnation, etc., with techniques of openwork carving, relief carving, and high relief carving.

Most outstanding in the artistic decoration is the system of round statues. The three Tam The statues placed at the top are equal in size and identical in posture, all seated in the full lotus position of subduing demons, with hands in the samadhi mudra. Their hair is arranged in horizontal rows, swelling out like a hat; the faces have many distinctive features: eyes half-closed looking downward, straight nose bridge, deep philtrum, and mouths with a faint smile. The statues wear two-layer robes, with the outer layer covering the shoulders.

The Amitabha statue is made in the posture of meditation subduing demons, with hands in the samadhi mudra. The statue has a moderately prominent ushnisha, topped by a smooth round protrusion; the hair is curled in snail-shell coils in horizontal rows by layers. The face has a portrait-like quality, with half-closed eyes reflecting inner contemplation and a smiling mouth of salvation; the ears are large and thick, and the neck has two folds. The statue is draped in a multi-layered Dharma robe. One hand rests on the lap, the other is in a mudra gesture. The statue sits cross-legged on a lotus throne. The lotus base is not arranged in a circle; the back is slightly tapered, and the front opens according to the seated posture. The lotus petals are plain, plump, with slightly turned-down tips.

The Holy Monk statue sits on a two-tier pedestal, wearing a Seven Buddhas hat, with relief decoration on the lotus petals; he sits with legs pendant, wears multi-layered robes, holds both hands in front of the chest, with the hands in a mudra gesture.

The Duc Ong statue sits on a two-tier pedestal, wearing a civil official's hat with a rim decorated with flowers, leaves, clouds, and fire; below the hat is a pair of dragons facing the jewel. He wears a grand ceremonial robe, with the front panel carved with a unicorn standing on waves. The left hand of the statue is placed face down on the knee, the right hand rests on the thigh, holding a sword.

In addition, the relic preserves a fairly rich and valuable system of artifacts. Among them, special mention must be made of a bronze bell, “Sung Linh Tu Chung,” dated the 10th day of the midwinter month of the Binh Thin year, the 9th year of Tu Duc (1856). The bell handle is shaped as a pair of dragons with their backs together. The bell has four sides, and its body is divided into eight decorative panels; each corner of the panels is cast in relief with cloud and leaf motifs. The bell has four round, raised chrysanthemum-shaped striking bosses, connected around the body by raised ridges; on both sides of the ridges are bands of lemon-flower patterns. Four horizontal rectangular panels near the foot of the bell are cast in relief with the “four sacred creatures” theme. The bell base flares wide and is divided into two tiers. On the bell is engraved an inscription in Han characters, and the date is engraved in a vertical panel of the bell. Next are seven wooden horizontal plaques lacquered red and gilded; some have the content:

Chan Nhu Tu – Thanh Thai era (1903)

Kien Tinh Thanh – Duy Tan era, 3rd year (1909)

And one couplet lacquered red and gilded. In addition, there are some utensils used in daily worship, such as incense bowls, lamp stands, flower vases...

In 2003, Yen Binh Pagoda was ranked by the Hanoi City People's Committee as an Architectural - Artistic relic.