Pagoda enters record books

      New Bai Dinh Pagoda in the northern province of Ninh Binh is pulling crowds with its multi-record breaking architecture
Ninh Binh’s record-breaking pagoda, Bai Dinh Spiritual Centre in Gia Sinh Commune, Gia Vien District, is drawing crowds of visitors, curious to see the magnanimous construction with their own eyes.
The original pagoda was built by a Zen Buddhist priest Nguyen Minh Khong (1066-1141) in the 11th century.
The new building covers an area of 700ha, making it the largest pagoda in Viet Nam. The complex is slated for completion in 2010, in time to celebrate 1,000 years since King Ly Thai To moved the country’s capital from Hoa Lu in Ninh Binh to Thang Long (today’s Ha Noi).
There’s more record-breaking architecture. The pagoda’s magnificent three-door gate is the biggest of this kind in Viet Nam, built with 550 tonnes of iron wood. Four 13,8m-high pillars tower over the entrance, flanked by two 5.5m-high solid bronze guard statues, weighing 12 tonnes each.
Around the gate are eight smaller bronze statues of Kim Cuong angels, each weighing 8 tonnes.
Bronze marvels
But it is inside the gate that you will find the real gem of the pagoda.
At the top of the bell tower is the 36-tonne bell – the heaviest bell in Viet Nam.
The bell is a mixture of bronze and gold and was cast in Hue – the country’s cradle of bronze casting. When it is rung, the sound can be heard as far as 10km from the tower.
The bell isn’t the only bronze marvel in the complex. Not far from the tower is Kwan Yin Sanctum: a wooden building with five main chambers and two side chambers. Tucked away in the centre of the sanctum is the stunning 10m-high bronze statue of Kwan Yin with thousand hands. When looking up at this vast piece of art, it’s not surprising to learn that the 80-tonne statue is the biggest depiction of Kwan Yin statue in Viet Nam.
Kwan Yin is not alone. The building leads onto Phap Chu Sanctum – an area dedicated to worshipping Lord Buddha Sakyamuni, the founder of Buddhism.
At the heart of the building is a high platform in the central chamber where a 10m-high bronze statue of Lord Buddha sits on his lotus throne.
The Centre for Viet Nam Record Books recognised the 100-tonne stature as the tallest and heaviest bronze depiction of Lord Buddha in the country in 2006.
The statue was born as part of a collective effort of bronze casters in Y Yen District, Nam Dinh Province.
If you are not completely overwhelmed by the size of the statue you will notice the wall behind it, which is divided into nearly 1,300 small pigeon holes, each with a small bronze statue of Buddha.
New dimensions
The grand scale of the pagoda is best seen at Tam The (past, present and future) Sanctum.
Built on the highest hill in the region, Tam The Sanctum is the largest construction in Bai Dinh complex, and is also the biggest sanctum for worshipping Buddha in the country.
The massive structure covers an area of 3.000sq.m. There are seven chambers, each dedicated to celebrating the three tenses of Buddha. The sanctum is home to the largest set of three-tense Buddha statues in the country, each weighing a massive 50 tonnes.
There are also 500 valuable Arhat stone statues – the most at any pagoda in Viet Nam.
Carving the statues was a delicate operation, says artist Dang Van Phong.
"The hardest part was carving the facial features. A little carelessness could ruin a big chunk of stone that had been carefully selected."
Pride and joy
The scale of the construction doesn’t fail to impress, says visitor Ha Thi Tan, a retired teacher from Ha Noi.
"Bai Dinh Pagoda is a harmonious combination of old and the new, past and present. Building it drew together the skills and creativity of today’s population, with some help from science and technology," she says.
The juxtaposition of old and new is made all the more obvious when visitors pay a trip to the original pagoda a few kilometres away.
The positions of the two pagodas are also important, says visitor Dang Bac Van.
"The old one is in an isolated place, beside it is Gieng Ngoc, a well of water that never runs dry. The new pagoda is in an open space with a river and two mountains on either side that look like a crouching dragon and a resting tiger."
Local people are very satisfied with the new pagoda, says village elder Do Xuan Canh. "We are all very happy we have the largest pagoda in the country, but this is a religious place so people should have a peaceful mind and should not boast too much about it."
On the way to the old pagoda, favourite stop off points include Sang (Light) Cave, where the surprisingly flat ceiling and floor resemble half an Olympic-sized swimming poor. The cave, which worships Buddha, was bestowed with an inscription by King Le Thanh Tong in the 15th century: "Minh dinh danh lam," which means "famous landscape on the mountain top".
Nearby Toi (Dark) Cave, with its weird and wonderful rock formations and fairy pool, worship Mau (Vietnamese Mother Goddess).
Bai Dinh deserves to be in the country’s record books, says culturist and folklore specialist Truong Dinh Tuong.
"The complex is a vast cultural and spiritual centre and full of typically Vietnamese features. The people of Ninh Binh are not alone in their pride, all Vietnamese people love this place. The pagoda lives up to its rich history and hands down the cultural spirit of centuries to the new generation."