Located in a peaceful countryside of My Thuy commune, Le Thuy district, Quang Binh province, Hoang Phuc pagoda stands out with its beautiful landscape, originating from Chi Kien hermitage, Kinh Thien pagoda, commonly known as Tram pagoda or Quan pagoda. This is one of the oldest scenic spots in the central region with a history of over 700 years from the event marking the step of receiving the fire element of Buddha King Tran Nhan Tong during his Southern Journey in 1301 to Chi Kien hermitage to stay and preach Buddhist teachings.
The sacred temple is over 700 years old
In particular, in 1716, Lord Nguyen Phuc Chu visited the pagoda and had it renovated so that the two horizontal plaques “Hoang Bieu Kinh Thien Tu Vo Song Phuc Dia” (The Land of Happiness is not comparable) and the five parallel sentences made by the King were hung in the pagoda. In 1821, King Minh Mang visited the pagoda and changed its name to Hoang Phuc. To this day, Hoang Phuc Pagoda is one of the oldest pagodas in the Central region with a history of more than 715 years. Because since 1301, when the Buddha Emperor Tran Nhan Tong went to the South to meet King Che Man to negotiate the two Chau O and Chau Ry, the pagoda at that time had a history as a small hermitage called Am Tri Kien. After this generation, the Nguyen lords, such as Lord Nguyen Hoang in 1609, visited here, then Lord Nguyen Phuc Chu in 1716, King Minh Mang in 1821, King Thieu Tri in 1842. Thus, this pagoda has a very long history, from Lord Tran Nhan Tong to the Nguyen kings and lords visiting the pagoda, proving that it is a large pagoda called Quoc Tu.
Image of Hoang Phuc pagoda campus
In the historical flow of the nation, Hoang Phuc pagoda has affirmed its position in the cultural and spiritual life of the people of Quang Binh in general and the people of Le Thuy in particular. This is demonstrated through the events and uninterrupted succession. Since King Tran Nhan Tong brought Buddhist ideology to teach at the pagoda. Through the war and chaos, Hoang Phuc pagoda still existed and developed with many renovations and reconstructions until it has the shape it has today. In 2016, on the occasion of the inauguration of the pagoda, it was awarded the title of Vietnam National Monument. The temple is planned with the entire campus following the layout space of traditional Vietnamese temple architecture, including the outer gate, inner gate, Tam Bao Buddha Tower, left and right corridors, ancestral shrine and other auxiliary works. This temple is located on the border between Dang Trong and Dang Ngoai, so it has a political and spiritual element. The ancient kings were interested in this temple, so when historians, archaeologists or culturalists identified its historical and cultural nature, it should be recognized as a national historical relic.
On January 14-15, the pagoda often holds a big festival that attracts many people to participate.
Nowadays, visitors to the pagoda can still see an arched gate with four characters Ta Quang Do Mon covered by roots and ancient tree trunks. Through the survey, it is shown that this is a type of gate with a scale that even Hue Capital in that period seemed to not have many pagodas with such a gate complex. The ancient traces still exist here. Currently, Hoang Phuc Pagoda still preserves ancient artifacts from different eras such as the 19th century Jade Emperor statue, the statue of Bodhisattva Avalokitesvara, a bronze bell weighing 80 kg, 1.1 cm high, 0.5 cm in diameter, cast during the reign of King Minh Mang. Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva, the Dharma Protector statue, the 19th century gilded wooden statue of Giam Trai Su Gia, the 62.5 cm high bronze Nine Dragons are also among the rare treasures of the pagoda. In 2016, Hoang Phuc Pagoda was presented by the Myanmar Buddhist Sangha with a bone relic of Buddha Shakyamuni cast from Sagon Pagoda, the largest and most sacred pagoda in Myanmar.
The left gate is surrounded by the roots and trunk of an ancient tree.
I cannot help but be proud of the historical sites and relics in my hometown, especially Hoang Phuc Pagoda. This is a pagoda with a long history in Quang Binh province and is also the place I often choose to return to to relax my soul and regenerate my energy after a series of stressful working days. Every year in the first lunar month, Hoang Phuc Pagoda festival is held on a large scale, attracting many tourists and locals to participate. This is considered an activity to preserve the spiritual and cultural values of the local people, teaching the good traditions of the nation such as solidarity and patriotism. “This pagoda is very beautiful and very ancient. Previously, this pagoda was just a very small pagoda. After that, the local government and philanthropists worked together to build a magnificent and large pagoda like this, making locals and visitors happy” – shared by a local resident. The ups and downs of the history of Hoang Phuc Pagoda have become an ideal destination for visitors from near and far to pray for peace and blessings for their relatives and friends. The pagoda is also a space for people to find spiritual cultural elements and precious traditional values of the local ethnic group.
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