Tĩnh Lâu Pagoda

Sải Pagoda, with the formal name Tĩnh Lâu Tự, is located on the bank of West Lake in Hồ Khẩu village, Trung tổng, Vĩnh Thuận district, Hoài Đức prefecture, now Bưởi ward, Tây Hồ district, Hanoi city.

Tĩnh Lâu Pagoda was recognised as a historical and cultural relic according to Decision No. 1460 QĐ/BT dated 26 June 1996 by the Ministry of Culture and Information of Vietnam.

According to ancient steles still preserved at the pagoda, the pagoda is situated on a vast area of up to 10 mẫu (Vietnamese acres), right at the edge of West Lake. According to cultural researchers, Tĩnh Lâu Pagoda dates back to the Lý dynasty. Previously, the pagoda was called Thanh Lâu Tự and colloquially known as Sải Pagoda; later, during the Nguyễn dynasty, it was renamed Tĩnh Lâu Pagoda.

At nearly midnight on 5 November 2016, a fire broke out at Tĩnh Lâu Pagoda (Tây Hồ district, Hanoi). The Tổ house (tổ: ancestral hall), where the abbots of the pagoda through the generations are worshipped, was almost completely destroyed. According to reports, the fire was discovered at Tĩnh Lâu Pagoda at about 23:40 on 4 November 2016 and quickly grew. From kilometres away, many people could see the flames and columns of smoke rising along the edge of West Lake.

The pagoda is built in an area of beautiful scenery, with West Lake in front of it, and the landscape of the whole area also features the presence of Trấn Quốc Pagoda, Vệ Quốc Temple, Tây Hồ Palace... together forming a complex of cultural relics.

The tam quan (three-arched gateway) of the pagoda is built in the style of a vaulted arch with two storeys and eight roof eaves, roofed with tube tiles imitating lime mortar, creating a graceful and gentle appearance. The main hall of the pagoda is structured in the shape of the character đinh (丁), consisting of five front halls (tiền đường) and four rear sanctuaries (hậu cung). The pagoda roof is covered with shoe-shaped tiles, with the ridge ends at both sides decorated with two square marks, and the lower edge built in three tiers, decorated with meander-pattern motifs. The entrance to the pagoda is marked by two bronze pillars connected to the side wall of the front hall, with a pair of kneeling nghê (mythical lion-dogs) on top, symbolising the scrutiny of the human spirit before entering the gate of meditation. Below each pair of nghê are lantern canopies, and above them are decorative motifs such as dragon heads, tiger faces, flowers, etc. The pillar shafts are made square on each side for writing parallel sentences (câu đối).

Tĩnh Lâu Pagoda still preserves valuable works of Vietnamese art from the 17th century. Notably, the Cửu Long altar (Nine Dragons altar) of the pagoda is made differently from other Cửu Long altars, resembling a ceremonial canopy (bảo cái).

The three Tam Thế statues (Buddhas of the Three Times) in the pagoda are crafted to be close to life-size, in the posture of sitting cross-legged on a three-layered lotus pedestal, with slender faces, straight noses, slightly smiling mouths, and half-closed eyes as if looking down. In addition, there are 38 other statues of various sizes, among which the Amitābha (A Di Đà) statue, 1.34m high, is the largest in the Buddha hall. At the entrance hangs a bronze bell cast in the 7th year of Cảnh Thịnh (1799), inscribed with the words Thanh Lâu Thiền Tự (meaning Thanh Lâu Pagoda bell).

The pagoda also preserves 15 stone steles, a Stupa Garden, and many ancient horizontal boards and parallel sentences, making Tĩnh Lâu Pagoda a complete Buddhist architectural work and a prototypical structure of ancient Vietnamese pagodas.

In April 2007, while digging with crowbars, a group of workers discovered an ancient tomb built in the style of "coffin inside, outer stone enclosure". With a turtle-shaped construction, initial assessment determined that this tomb belonged to a deceased person of royal, official, or at least wealthy status.

On the grounds of Tĩnh Lâu Pagoda about 40 years ago, a tomb of a princess was also discovered.