Vietnam Pagodas

Bồ Tát Pagoda

Hà Nội(Chùa Bồ Tát)

Overview & history

Bảo Tháp Tự is an ancient pagoda commonly known as Bồ Tát Pagoda, located in Thượng Phúc hamlet, Tả Thanh Oai commune, Thanh Trì district, Hà Nội. The pagoda was built at the end of the Lý dynasty by a royal member of the Lý family, Lý Thầm (son of King Lý Cao Tông, uncle of Lý Chiêu Hoàng), who came to establish a hermitage and practise there.

In 1328, during the Trần dynasty, a high-ranking monk named Hồ Bà Lam came to practise. He was a royal member of the Hồ family, and while practising at the pagoda, in addition to reciting sutras and chanting the Buddha's name, he also took in orphans, abandoned children, and widows to care for at the pagoda. The people of the time praised and revered him as a living Bodhisattva.

The third person to practise at the pagoda was Lady Minh Từ Empress Dowager Hồ Thuận Nương (Lê Thị?) (paternal aunt of Hồ Quý Ly). She was from Diễn Châu district, Nghệ An, married King Trần Minh Tông, and gave birth to two sons who both became kings (Trần Hiến Tông and Trần Nghệ Tông). She came here to escape the threat of the Chiêm invaders, and during more than three years overseeing Bảo Tháp Pagoda, she restored the pagoda and also built Phúc Khê Pagoda.

At this site, the original versions of 32 imperial edicts (mainly for the Minh Từ miếu – ancestral temple), genealogical records, a stone stele from the 3rd year of Quang Thái under Trần Thuận Tông, the "Mộc Bản" stele carved in the 2nd year of Bảo Thái, a bronze bell cast during the Gia Long era, and a bronze gong cast during the Thiệu Trị era are still preserved...

In 1990, Bảo Tháp Pagoda was classified as a Historical and Cultural Site by the Ministry of Culture and Information.

Photos

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Visiting tips

  • Dress modestly; remove hats and keep quiet inside the main hall.
  • Incense, flowers and offerings are usually sold right outside the gate; light an odd number of sticks (1 or 3).
  • Most pagodas open from early morning to evening and are free to enter (some major sites charge a small scenic fee).
  • Full-moon days, the 1st of the lunar month and Tet are very crowded; visit on weekday mornings for a quiet experience.
  • Ask permission before photographing inside shrines; do not touch statues or altar objects.

Read more & references

Useful links to learn more before your visit:

References

Other pagodas in Hà Nội

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Chùa Anh Linh
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Chùa Bà Đá
Chùa Bà Đá
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Chùa Bà Già
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Chùa Bà Nành (Hà Nội)
Chùa Bà Nành (Hà Nội)
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Chùa Bà Ngô (Hà Nội)
Chùa Bà Ngô (Hà Nội)
Bà Ngô Pagoda is an ancient pagoda in Hà Nội, dating back to the reign of King Lý Nhân Tông. Its formal name is Ngọc Hồ Tự, also known as Ngọc Hồ Pagoda, and it is currently located at 128 Nguyễn Khuyến Street, Văn Miếu Ward, Hà Nội. The French used to call it Sinh Từ Pagoda, as it is situated on Sinh Từ Street. Over nearly 900 years of existence, Bà Ngô Pagoda has preserved many stone steles, parallel sentences, and a large number of relics in various forms such as imperial thrones, ancestral tablets, ritual objects, and more. The pagoda is a beautiful and unique religious structure, closely associated with many legends and figures throughout the development of Thăng Long - Hà Nội's history.