Bối Khê Pagoda

Bối Khê Pagoda (temple name: Đại Bi Tự) is an ancient pagoda located in Tam Hưng commune, Hanoi city. The pagoda is renowned as one of the few that still preserves original wooden architectural traces from the Trần dynasty, while also embodying many outstanding values in the development of Buddhism in the Red River Delta throughout the history of feudal Vietnam. The pagoda is also among the rare ancient Vietnamese architectural works that still retain the dougong (斗拱, bracket set) structure as a load-bearing component. Research on Bối Khê Pagoda was initiated by French scholars in the 1930s and subsequently promoted continuously by Vietnamese researchers from the 1960s to the present. In 1979, the Minister of Culture and Information classified the pagoda as a national-level historical and cultural relic.

The temple name of the pagoda is Đại Bi Tự (Chinese characters: 大悲寺), in which 'bi' originally means 'sorrow', associated with the phrase 'đại từ đại bi' or 'từ bi', a Buddhist term denoting the Buddha's boundless compassion for humanity. The term 'Đại Bi' combined with the worshipped statues at the pagoda suggests that, during the Lý dynasty, the pagoda was likely dedicated solely to the Thousand-eyed, Thousand-armed Avalokiteśvara (Quan Âm) of Esoteric Buddhism. However, the pagoda is commonly called Bối Khê Pagoda because it was built on the land of Bối Khê village. After the August Revolution, the two villages of Bối Khê and Phúc Khê merged to form a new hamlet named Song Khê.

According to analyses and comparisons of decorative and architectural styles at various pagodas by many researchers (Trần Lâm Biền, Chu Quang Trứ, Hà Văn Tấn), Bối Khê is believed to have been built around 1338, during the Trần dynasty. This date is widely accepted in academic circles. However, there is a hypothesis that the pagoda was first established during the Lý dynasty, based on a stone block carved in the Lý style discovered in 1999 and several stele inscriptions with the Thái Hòa (1454) and Hồng Thuận (1515) era names located at the pagoda, as well as a stele with the Gia Long (1805) era name now at Quán Thánh (Tiên Phương commune, Chương Mỹ). These steles contain several passages that clearly indicate the possibility that the pagoda was founded during the Lý dynasty and bore the name Đại Bi.

The Lý dynasty pagoda was likely destroyed and underwent major restoration during the Trần dynasty. Many architectural elements and carvings (dragons on the brackets, Garuda birds on the roof corners) indicate an early Trần date. A notable point in dating Bối Khê Pagoda is that researchers conducted C14 isotope testing, which determined the absolute age of an architectural component (the bracket supporting the main beam) to be 640 ± 50 years ago. Thus, it can be confirmed that the pagoda dates back at least to the Trần dynasty (14th century). In addition, the steles, architectural details, decorative carvings, and worship objects in the pagoda (some bearing inscriptions with absolute dates) show that restoration and embellishment took place continuously throughout the Early Lê, Mạc, Later Lê, and Nguyễn periods. The restoration and expansion of the pagoda can be summarised based on steles and antiquities as follows:

By the early 19th century, Bối Khê Pagoda had seriously deteriorated. In 2004, the Ministry of Culture and Information and the People's Committee of Hà Tây province approved the 'Investment project for conservation, restoration, embellishment, and rehabilitation of Bối Khê Pagoda relic' with the design consultancy provided by the Office of Construction Consultancy and Technology Transfer (Hanoi University of Architecture), with a total investment estimate of over 13 billion VND. The Hà Tây Department of Culture and Information organised the commencement of conservation and restoration of the pagoda. Accordingly, the Tổ house (ancestral hall) and Mẫu house (Mother Goddess hall) were relocated northwards; at the same time, the entire area and facilities of Tam Hưng Primary School, located in front and to the right of the Ngũ Không Môn (Five-void Gate), were moved to expand the precinct and reinforce the wells on both sides of the inner courtyard of the pagoda.

Bối Khê Pagoda is a typical example of the 'front Buddha, rear Saint' (tiền Phật, hậu Thánh) layout. The pagoda worships the Buddha at the front. However, the statues described in stele inscriptions prior to the Nguyễn dynasty no longer exist, except for two statues: the Thousand-eyed, Thousand-armed Avalokiteśvara and Bà Hậu (from the Mạc period), which occupy the principal position in the Upper Hall (Thượng điện). This reflects the dominance of Esoteric Buddhism (Mật tông) and Pure Land Buddhism (Tịnh độ tông) over Zen Buddhism (Thiền tông).

Bối Khê Pagoda is a prime example of the fusion between Buddhism and Daoism. The pagoda worships Đức Thánh Bối (Holy Bối Saint) at the rear. Đức Thánh Bối was a native of Bối village, who practised at Bối Khê Pagoda during his lifetime. He contributed to helping the Trần king repel foreign invaders and was thus conferred the title of Supreme Deity (Thượng đẳng thần) by the Trần king. Bối Khê Pagoda has a Saint Hall (Thánh điện) with the largest number of worshipped statues among the known 'front Buddha, rear Saint' pagodas. This clearly demonstrates the syncretic religious character of a Red River Delta pagoda.

Đức Thánh Bối is a historical-religious figure who established a special relationship between Bối Khê Pagoda and Trăm Gian Pagoda, as well as a connection between the two villages and regions (Bối Khê – Tiên Lữ/Tứ Bích) in terms of religion. Both pagodas worship the same Saint Nguyễn Bình An. Because of this shared worship, the two villages have long maintained the custom of 'kết chạ' (sworn brotherhood), which continues to this day.

Legends in both villages recount that, at the end of the Trần dynasty (13th century), in the Bối Khê area, a young mother, after stepping into a giant human footprint on a rock, conceived and gave birth to a son. The boy was handsome and intelligent; as a child from a poor family, he often took refuge at the village pagoda and later became a monk. This was the monk–Taoist Nguyễn Bình An. The monk contributed to the renovation of Bối Khê Pagoda. Later, he became abbot of Trăm Gian Pagoda (Tiên Phương commune, Chương Mỹ), about 20 km from Bối Khê. The Saint summoned skilled craftsmen to expand the pagoda. During construction, he would wear wooden clogs and climb onto the beams and roofs to supervise the workers. To feed the workers, he cooked a small pot of rice, then took three steps back to Bối Khê to ask his uncle and aunt for soya sauce and pickles. When the rice was cooked, the workers took turns trying to lift the pot but could not. The Saint simply pinched it out, yielding three trays of rice and one tray of crispy rice, along with soya sauce and pickles, enough to serve a hundred banquet tables, and the workers could not finish it all. Today, at Quán Thánh, Lương Xá (Lam Điền commune, Chương Mỹ), and Ó Vực (Thượng Vực commune, Chương Mỹ), there are still traces of his footprints, each marked with a platform and a palm tree; at Quán Thánh, there is also a protruding stone associated with the Trăm Gian Pagoda festival.

Along the west–east axis (from outside in), Bối Khê Pagoda comprises the following structures in sequence: five stupas, Đức Ông Temple, outer courtyard, brick-paved path, Ngũ Không Môn (Five-void Gate, consisting of five gates), brick bridge over the Đỗ Động river, tam quan (triple gate), Buddha pagoda (front hall, incense hall, upper hall, two corridors), Saint Hall (main hall, connecting hall, rear sanctuary). From the Buddha pagoda to the Saint Hall is enclosed by a brick wall forming the 'inner công, outer quốc' (interior 工, exterior 囯) architectural layout. Outside the 'quốc' wall are several other structures to the south, as well as ponds, wells, and gardens. Bối Khê Pagoda is a typical example of a cluster-style delta pagoda with multiple layers of wooden architecture extending along the longitudinal axis and expanding laterally. This is a new feature of Vietnamese Buddhist architecture, first appearing in the Trần period. All architectural works at the pagoda bear Vietnamese architectural characteristics, except for the last structure, the Saint Hall, which features dougong brackets. In the architectural structure of Bối Khê Pagoda, many brackets are used on the house frame, but structurally they are completely different from the dougong in the Saint Hall.

The Ngũ Không Môn (Five-void Gate) and the bridge leading to the Tam quan are built of brick, decorated in the late Nguyễn style (late 19th – early 20th century) with motifs of the four sacred animals, fruits and flowers, elephants and horses modelled in mortar and painted on the walls. The absolute date of the Ngũ Môn is 1899. This is an expression of the temple-shrine character of the entire pagoda complex, affirming the hybrid nature of the 'front Buddha, rear Saint' worship.

The Tam quan (triple gate) is a product of various restoration periods, but the most distinct remains are from the Nguyễn dynasty. The Tam quan has two storeys, eight roofs, one central bay and two side wings. It serves both as the entrance to the Buddha pagoda and as a bell tower. Traces of the Tam quan from the Trần and Later Lê periods are evident in the lotus-shaped stone bases and dragon heads on the second storey beam ends.

The Buddha pagoda section consists of the Front Hall (Tiền đường), Incense Hall (Thiêu hương), Upper Hall (Thượng điện), and two corridors. The Front Hall is a seven-bay structure: one central, two side, two gable, and two wing bays. The structural frame follows the 'stacked beams – hanging truss' (chồng rường – giá chiêng) style; additionally, there is a hidden corner post structure connecting to the corridor. The floor bricks of this building are clearly in the Mạc style, with dragons, phoenixes, and lions arranged in rectangular and circular frames. The Incense Hall is at the same floor level as the Front Hall, with similar architecture. Both the Incense Hall and Front Hall have structural frames dating to the Nguyễn dynasty.

The Upper Hall is an independent one-bay, two-wing structure. The Upper Hall alone contains many components dating from the Trần dynasty. The Upper Hall columns are large and low, the beam frame has leaf-shaped brackets. The ends of the brackets are carved with Trần-style dragons, and some roof corners feature Garuda birds. However, overall, the present Upper Hall bears strong Mạc dynasty features (stacked beam – hanging truss frame, thick and large components, dragon heads on the front beam ends) as well as Nguyễn dynasty elements (columns, floor, enclosing components, roof structure). The Trần, Mạc, and Nguyễn traces mentioned above were erased during major repairs in 1995.

The Holy Hall section consists of three architectural units: the Đại bái (Great Worship Hall), the ống muống (connecting corridor), and the Hậu cung (Rear Sanctuary), arranged in the shape of the Chinese character 'công' (工). The Holy Hall is connected to the two corridors of the Buddha Hall at the two side chambers of the Đại bái, forming two 'công' characters and, overall, the layout 'nội (nhị) công ngoại quốc' (double 'công' inside, 'quốc' outside).

The Rear Sanctuary of the Holy Hall is a nearly square building, measuring 5.58m × 5.55m (the slight difference in sides may be due to the frame shifting over time). This Rear Sanctuary is a rare example of the 'đấu củng' (bracket set) architectural style in Vietnam. However, visitors rarely have the opportunity to admire it from the inside, as the Rear Sanctuary is a sacred area not widely open to the public. The building features a stacked roof structure with curved blade-like eaves. However, the eaves here are narrower than those in structures without 'đấu củng'. Except for the brackets placed on the four corner columns, from a distance, each roof face has three clusters of three-tiered brackets, in the 'one bracket, two rises' V-shaped style. Unlike the brackets in the bell tower of Keo Pagoda (Thái Bình), the brackets here are all through-brackets, both projecting out to support the roof and reinforcing the inner beam rows. The corner rafters of both the lower and upper roofs rest on the bracket clusters at the heads of the secondary and main columns.

However, the function and structure of the brackets at the roof corners are entirely different from those at the roof edges. The four corner brackets are through-brackets for corner transitions, while the edge brackets are two-way brackets: one is placed at the centre, and the bracket systems on either side of the central bracket are relief brackets on wooden boards. Therefore, the edge brackets are only decorative. Another feature of the brackets at Bối Khê Pagoda is that they do not have curved ends.

In the garden of Bối Khê Pagoda, there are two earth lotus trees, whose flowers usually have 9 to 10 large, pure white petals, with a fragrant scent, resembling lotus blossoms, with greenish-yellow stamens. They bloom from the fourth to the sixth lunar month, each flower lasting about a week before wilting. According to legend, people have tried to propagate and plant this flower elsewhere but it almost never survives, so the people of Bối Khê regard it as a village treasure. This earth lotus flower is the very image of the 'lotus branch' in folk songs and proverbs, which is often mistakenly thought to be impossible since lotus flowers do not have branches, as in:

"Last night I bailed water at the đình's entrance,

Forgot my shirt on the lotus branch."

or:

"Went to the pagoda, broke off a lotus branch,

Ate by lamplight, transplanted rice by moonlight."

Many sources have carelessly claimed that this rare lotus flower now exists only at Bối Khê Pagoda, making the earth lotus of Bối Khê famous. In reality, this is a common species worldwide, and there is no documentation stating it is so difficult to grow. This earth lotus is also called 'Bạch liên sen' (White Lotus Magnolia), scientific name Magnolia grandiflora, belonging to the Magnolia genus. The Chinese call it 'Hà hoa ngọc lan' (荷花玉兰), and the Japanese call it 'Thái sơn mộc' (泰山木 – Taisanboku). In Vietnam, this species is also chosen by many monks for planting, such as in the grounds of Quán Sứ Pagoda and Lý Quốc Sư Pagoda, but the trees are rarely noticed as they seldom flower. In the past, earth lotus trees grew abundantly in the Đông Triều arc (Quảng Ninh), on the Yên Tử, Đỉnh Hương, and Bảo Đài mountain ranges. This proves that the earth lotus has long been associated with many Buddhist and Trúc Lâm Zen sites since the Lý–Trần dynasties.

Behind the pagoda grounds, a model bunker from the resistance against the French is still preserved. The bunker was ordered to be dug in January 1948 by Mr. Vũ Song, Secretary of the Hà Đông City Party Committee (former), with three main branches: one leading to the Buddha Hall, one passing through the Nguyễn Trực Temple (near Bối Khê Pagoda), and one encircling Bối Khê village. The tunnel system was extensive, allowing troop movements underground and serving as a strong defensive position. Today, the bunkers in the commune and neighbouring communes have all been sealed, except for the one at Bối Khê Pagoda, which still retains one entrance and a tunnel about 7 metres long. In this historic bunker, the villagers of Bối Khê eliminated a total of 372 French soldiers. The bunker is also associated with the feat of female guerrilla Phạm Thị Đe, who lay in the bunker for seven consecutive days without food or water while the French occupied the village. On the eighth day, after the French withdrew, she struggled to the bunker entrance and fainted. Currently, the Bối Khê bunker has been renovated and the 7-metre tunnel restored.

The system of ritual objects at Bối Khê Pagoda is relatively large and can be divided into two main types:

Anthropomorphic ritual objects: These include worship statues and related items. The total number of worship statues in the pagoda is 92. Some statues have been lost and replaced with others of lesser artistic value.

Statues in the Buddha Hall: There are a total of 27 wooden statues in the Buddhist worship area (20 in the Upper Hall, 4 in the Incense Hall, and 3 in the Front Hall). The two parallel corridors have 18 earthen Arhat statues.

Statues in the Holy Hall: There are 27 wooden statues in total, arranged in the two main areas of Đại Bái and Hậu Cung. The Đại bái area has 13 statues arranged in four groups evenly on both sides, connecting to the corridor. The Hậu cung has 14 wooden statues, divided into two groups: one group of four in the two central altars, and the other group of ten evenly distributed on both sides of the main altar, in the two side chambers, close to the rear wall of the Hậu Cung.

Non-anthropomorphic ritual objects: These include altars and related items, steles and imperial edicts, sedan platforms, two 'life trees' (as called by the villagers). There are quite a few ritual objects at Bối Khê, some of which have been lost. Lost items include five glazed ceramic lampstands and incense bowls from the Mạc period, all with inscriptions. Most of the ritual objects at Bối Khê Pagoda are from the Nguyễn dynasty. Some objects of artistic value include: a Trần dynasty stone lotus altar, a lotus pedestal stone slab with Lý dynasty decorative style, stone steles from the Lê Sơ to Nguyễn periods, and two stone incense pillars.

Among the statues at the pagoda, the Quan Âm Nam Hải statue from the Mạc period (also known as the Thousand-Armed, Thousand-Eyed Avalokiteśvara) is the most artistically valuable, with a very balanced and dynamic arrangement of arms. The lacquered wooden statue is 2.53m high (the wooden pedestal is 94cm), placed on a Trần dynasty stone lotus pedestal. On either side are statues of Kim Đồng and Ngọc Nữ from the Nguyễn dynasty, each 1.35m high. The Quan Âm statue sits in a half-lotus position, sleeveless robe flowing in curves, meeting the lotus leaf behind, draping over the shoulders and down the thighs, with many folds on the pedestal surface. The four-tiered lotus pedestal is evenly layered, below which is a hexagonal base with demons supporting the lotus dais. The statue has 14 arms in 7 symmetrical pairs across the body.

The pagoda still preserves many imperial edicts, including those from the years Thịnh Đức (1656), Vĩnh Thọ (1660), Cảnh Trị (1670), Dương Đức (1674), Chính Hòa (1683), Vĩnh Thịnh (1710), Vĩnh Khánh (1730), Cảnh Hưng (1740, 1763, 1767, 1783), Chiêu Thống (1787), Minh Mệnh (1821), Thiệu Trị (1844), Tự Đức (1880), Đồng Khánh (1887), and Duy Tân (1909). There are also two ancient bells cast in the years Thiệu Trị (1844) and Duy Tân (1908).

The pagoda festival takes place on the 12th day of the first lunar month every year. According to legend, when Đức Thánh Bối was alive, he could travel between the two villages of Tiên Lữ (Sở village) and Bối Khê village in just a few steps. At the age of 95, the monk Nguyễn Bình An had a wooden shrine constructed. On the night of the 12th, turning into the 13th day of the twelfth lunar month, he entered the shrine to sit and instructed his disciples that after one hundred days, they should open it to see: if there was a fragrance, they should use rattan to make a statue for worship, but if there was a foul smell, they should throw it into the Cái River. However, after only 21 days, the villagers peeked into the shrine. Seeing a halo and smelling a fragrance, they all gathered at the pagoda to hold a ceremony. That day was the 4th day of the first lunar month. Hearing the news, the people of Bối Khê also came, asking to bring the Saint's body back to their homeland of Bối Khê, but the people of Sở village refused. In the end, on the 12th day of the first lunar month, the people of Bối Khê requested a posthumous title and brought back the incense bowl for worship in absentia. This led to the establishment of a bond of brotherhood (kết chạ) between the two villages of Bối Khê and Tiên Lữ, which became an important element of both the Trăm Gian Pagoda festival and the Bối Khê Pagoda festival.

The friendly bond between Bối Khê and Tiên Lữ villages has been maintained to this day. On the morning of the 4th day of the first lunar month, the Bối Khê delegation attends the Trăm Gian Pagoda festival, consisting of 8 elderly men and 8 elderly women. This delegation is called by the people of Tiên Lữ the "sãi quan anh" elders. At the Bối Khê Pagoda festival on the 12th day of the first lunar month, the "tứ bích" delegation from Tiên Lữ, representing four hamlets—Nội, Thượng, Phương Khê (Tiên Phương commune, Chương Mỹ district), and Thổ Ngõa hamlet (Tân Hòa commune, Quốc Oai district)—attends with the same number of people and is also called "sãi quan anh".

When welcoming the Bối Khê delegation, Tiên Lữ village selects two people from each of the "tứ bích" hamlets: they must be elderly, respected in the community, virtuous, and qualified to receive the "sãi quan anh" elders. When conversing, they must speak gently, politely, and modestly, engaging in friendly conversation after a year apart. The act of welcoming the delegation is called "chứa sãi". The expenses for "chứa sãi" come from 7 sào (a traditional unit of area) of rice fields allocated by the village to organise two meals (lunch on the 4th, breakfast on the 5th) and one tea gathering (evening of the 4th). The "chứa sãi" feast is very large, served on a square, two-tiered tray with a full range of vegetarian dishes such as giò (vegetarian sausage), nem (spring rolls), chả (patties), sticky rice, sweet soup, etc. At noon on the 5th, the Bối Khê delegation returns home.

On the morning of the 12th day of the first lunar month, the "tứ bích" again sends a delegation to attend the Bối Khê Pagoda festival. In return, the Bối Khê delegation brings firecrackers to Tiên Lữ to honour the saint and presents ornamental orchids, while the Tiên Lữ elders bring pine saplings as gifts. To welcome the Tiên Lữ "sãi quan anh" elders, the people of Bối Khê also select 8 people according to similar criteria as the "tứ bích". The expenses for "chứa sãi" in Bối Khê are also covered by the villagers, sufficient to organise three similar meals and tea gatherings. At noon on the 13th day of the first lunar month, the delegation returns home, marking the conclusion of the Bối Khê festival.

During the Bối Khê Pagoda festival, there are ceremonial processions and a spring firecracker lighting contest as part of the sacred drum ritual. Outside of the festival, Bối Khê Pagoda also holds rain-invoking ceremonies when there is a prolonged drought.

Bối Khê Pagoda, with its large and valuable collection of ritual objects, has suffered the theft of antiquities on several occasions. Five Mạc dynasty ceramic lamps with inscriptions and many statues have long been lost. On 13 March 2020, thieves broke into the pagoda and stole a black bronze statue of the infant Shakyamuni Buddha, about 70–80 cm tall, which had been placed in the Tam Bảo hall. This was the third time this statue had been stolen. On the two previous occasions, it was found intact and returned to the pagoda.

Bối Khê Pagoda has repeatedly experienced unauthorised construction without the permission of the competent authorities and without assessment according to heritage regulations, leading to the destruction of ancient architectural relics. At the beginning of 2019, the abbess of Bối Khê Pagoda (nun Thích Đàm Phượng) had the two side gates flanking the pagoda's bell tower demolished to build two new, larger gates, which 'threatened' the main structure of the ancient bell tower. Notably, the headquarters of the Tam Hưng Commune People's Committee is located opposite the pagoda, but did not act according to its responsibilities.

In April 2019, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, for the first time, issued an administrative penalty record against a Buddhist nun (Thích Đàm Phượng), fining her 20 million VND for illegal construction and encroachment on a national heritage site. However, the two side gates of the pagoda that were demolished and rebuilt were themselves constructed in 2004, on former rice fields with very weak foundations, and after 15 years had deteriorated significantly and were 'on the verge of collapse'. Therefore, at the end of 2018, in preparation for the upcoming festival season and the approaching rainy and stormy season, nun Thích Đàm Phượng, having funds donated by the people, decided to demolish and rebuild the gates according to the wishes of the local residents. The Ministry's inspectorate concluded: 'Their mistake was building without permission, but it was something that had to be done; not doing it would have led to damage, endangered people's lives, and failed to ensure safety during crowded festival days.'

In addition, not only the pagoda but also the Thanh Oai District Investment and Construction Management Board authorised the construction of unauthorised items such as: a newly paved stone courtyard in front of the five-entrance gate, stone paving of the pagoda courtyard, concrete poured at the base of ancient trees, and the installation of chandelier-style electric lights. The new courtyard is unfinished and untidy in many places. The lighting system in the courtyard resembles that of a park, which is inappropriate for the heritage landscape and damages the site's appearance. The authorities of Tam Hưng commune and Thanh Oai district have both accepted responsibility for these violations.