Dâu Pagoda
Dâu Pagoda (Vietnamese: chùa Dâu), also known under formal names: Diên Ứng (延應寺), Pháp Vân (法雲寺), and Cổ Châu, is a major Buddhist temple in Thanh Khương commune, huyện Thuận Thành, Bắc Ninh Province.[1] Located some 30 km from Hanoi, the temple historically marks the ancient settlement of Luy Lâu, once an important center of Buddhism in Vietnam.[2]
History
The temple itself dates from the 2nd century with construction in 187-226 AD. It is the oldest documented Buddhist pagoda in Vietnam. With Luy Lâu being an entrepot between China and India, Dâu Pagoda was the stopping point for both Northern (Mahayana) and Southern (Theravada) Buddhist pilgrims and monks.
Architecture
Architecturally the temple contains a number of important buildings in Vietnamese Buddhist art. At the center is a large three-story brick tower named Hoa Phong. Other historical pieces include stone and wooden statuaries, a number of which predates the 10th century.
Temple festival
Dâu Pagoda hosts the annual temple festival with ritual offerings to Buddha and musical performances for the masses on the 8th of the Fourth lunar month, attracting large numbers of worshippers from all across the Red River Delta.
References
- ↑ http://www.footprintsvietnam.com/vietnam_news/daupagoda.htm
- ↑ Catherine Noppe, Jean-François Hubert Art of Vietnam 2003 Page 53 "In the heart of the Bac Ninh plain in a region at the time known as Luy Lau - the region of the capital, Giao Chi - the beautiful Dau pagoda keeps the memory of the introduction of Buddhism around the end of the second or beginning of the third ..."
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