Bai Dinh Pagoda is located in the Trang An Scenic Landscape Complex in Gia Sinh Commune, Gia Vien District, Ninh Binh Province, far from Ho Chi Minh City. Ninh Binh is about 18 km and about 100 km from Hanoi capital. Bai Dinh is known for many Asian and Vietnamese records such as: The pagoda has the largest golden Buddha image in Asia, the longest Arhat corridor in Asia, the tallest Buddha stupa in Asia and the Maitreya Buddha statue in largest copper in Southeast Asia…

Bai Dinh Pagoda was started construction in 2003 , but it is a new temple, Bai Dinh has 2 areas, the old pagoda area and the new pagoda area . The ancient pagoda is located in the back mountain of the new pagoda area, is a mystical spiritual place, with a history dating back more than 1000 years, founded by Zen master Nguyen Minh Khong.

Bai Dinh ancient pagoda is located at the Tam The Palace of the new pagoda about 800m to the southeast, along the slopes of Dinh mountain. The pagoda is located on the top of the mountain, below is a very quiet natural forest. To visit ancient Bai Dinh, visitors have to step on 300 stone steps, uphill to the fork is the temple of Saint Nguyen, on the right is the light cave worshiping Buddha, on the left is the dark cave worshiping the Mother. Each cave has its own legend and legend that creates mysterious and divine features at the gate of meditation. In 1997, the pagoda was recognized as a national historical and cultural relic.

The new Bai Dinh pagoda area has an area of ​​80 hectares located on the other side of the mountain compared to the old pagoda area. It is a large construction with many items such as Tam The Palace, Phap Chu Palace, Quan The Am Palace, Bao Thap, Bell Tower and massive underground works built in many different stages.

Ancient Bai Dinh Pagoda

Well of Jade

Ngoc well has an area around 6000m2 ^, diameter 30m, depth 10m, water level 6-7m, surrounded by 4 octagonal floors and water from the well is jade green, natural water source has not dried up since ancient times. ever despite being located on high terrain.

The Triple Gate of Bai Dinh Pagoda

In the journey to Bai Dinh pagoda in Ninh Binh, you will pass through the Tam Quan gate, with four Chinese characters “Minh top beauty”. Legend has it that these are four words dedicated by King Le Thanh Tong (1460-1496) and a poem of four great words in Chinese.

This is a very beautiful and valuable Buddhist temple, worthy of being inscribed in the inscription engraved on the top of the bronze for everyone to know.

Translation of poems about Bai Dinh pagoda:

Dinh Son’s reputation is really high

Protecting the ancient citadel

The poem given by the king in Chinese is as follows:

Minh of fame

Dinh Son monopolizes the highest reputation

Self-accumulating Imperial Capital/Tide

Japan’s masterpieces of common spirit

The beautiful Huyen Son is coated with European metal

Human genius, earth spirit should be prosperous

The sacred mountain is beautiful and stable.

The two sides of the three sides have a couple of sentences:

Giang Son Trung Tu is a beautiful scene of fairyland, and the atmosphere is high

Van Vu Thi graces the Southern Kingdom, the lord of the kingdom, and the royal family

Translate:

Mountains and rivers create good air, the scenery of fairyland is unmatched

Rain clouds give great grace, the sacred land of the South country is all over

Through the three-way gate, turn right, visitors will come to the altar of the Patriarch Dat Ma. This is the Trinh Gate to report the names and residences of visitors to the temple. Master Dat Ma is considered to be the founder of Zen Buddhism and Chinese Shaolin Martial Arts. 

Bai Dinh Pagoda Ninh Binh

Panoramic view of Bai Dinh pagoda

About Bai Dinh Pagoda Ninh Binh

Area of ​​Bai Dinh pagoda

Map of Bai Dinh pagoda

Map to visit Bai Dinh pagoda

Tram fares and sightseeing in Bai Dinh Pagoda

Is Bai Dinh Pagoda open?

Bai Dinh Pagoda Festival

Experience going to Bai Dinh pagoda

Staying at Bai Dinh hotel

Explanation about Bai Dinh pagoda

Ancient Bai Dinh Pagoda

New Bai Dinh pagoda mountain area

Bai Dinh Pagoda at night

Some convenient travel itineraries

History of Bai Dinh Pagoda

About Bai Dinh Pagoda – More than 1000 years ago, Bai Dinh Pagoda Ninh Binh’s cultural and spiritual tourist area was the temporary capital of the Dinh Dynasty. Under the Ly Dynasty, National Master Nguyen Minh Khong built a pagoda to practice and make medicine to save people, especially the treatment of tiger transformation for King Ly Than Tong.

Since ancient times, the pagoda has been one of the centers of Buddhism (worshiping Buddha), Taoism (worshiping Cao Son god), and mother worshiping (Lieu Hanh model). To this day, the restored temples and palaces include 21 main categories, with two temples: the old Bai Dinh pagoda and the new Bai Dinh pagoda.

Where is Bai Dinh Pagoda?

The cultural and spiritual tourist area of ​​Ninh Binh pagoda belongs to Trang An Scenic Landscape Complex, located in Gia Sinh commune, Gia Vien district, Ninh Binh province, 7km from Hoa Lu ancient capital and 15km from Ninh Binh city . kilometer.

Bai Dinh mountain is the starting point of Hoa Lu limestone mountain system in the northwest and also the foothills of the Himalayas, where Buddhism originated. The mountains in the mountain system have an average height of 70-170m.

With an altitude of 187m, Bai Dinh mountain is the highest mountain in the region, also known as the master mountain / king mountain of Hoa Lu limestone mountain system. Bai Dinh mountain, according to the folk interpretation, means: the mountain with worship on the top.

Buddha’s Cave

The cave/cave for worshiping Buddha, also known as Sang cave, is about 25m long and 15m wide. This is the Buddhist temple founded by Lord Nguyen Minh Khong around 1096-1106. In front of the cave are 2 Dharma Protectors: Mr. Khuyen Thien and Mr. Cheng Evil, inside is the main shrine of the Tam Bao, or three phoenixes. represent three times: Past, Present and Future. On the right hand side is the consecration of the Holy Spirit and on the left hand side is the consecration of the Lord God.

Currently, the worshiping statues here are all cast in solid bronze and plated with gold. It can be said that the space here is both sacred and pure, where Buddhists and sentient beings most clearly feel the holiness and liberation of the Buddha realm.

Temple of Cao Son god

Going deep into the Sang cave, behind the Buddha altar, is the altar of Cao Son god. According to the divine genealogy, Cao Son Dai Vuong was Lac general Vu Lam, the 17th son of King Lac Long Quan, the god taught and helped people make a living, so the people built a temple.

God Cao Son along with god Thien Ton and god Quy Minh are the three gods who reside at the three gateways to the west, east and south of Hoa Lu Ancient Capital. Thanh Nguyen temple, also built with its back to the mountain, has a corridor separating it from the valley in front.

The medicinal garden in front of the temple of Saint Cao Son

Legend has it that this is a medicinal garden for people of Zen master Nguyen Minh Khong, named Sinh Duoc, which means living medicinal garden, natural medicine garden, in contrast to prepared and impregnated drugs.

Later, many physicians came here to find medicinal plants to cure diseases and save lives.

The medicinal garden has an area of ​​​​about 4 hectares, with precious medicinal plants such as: birth earth, Hoai Son, ginseng, five skins, single bones, and ginseng.

Temple of Saint Nguyen Minh Khong

This is a temple located in the middle of the “hand throne” arc of Bai Dinh mountain, one side is a cave worshiping Buddha and Cao Son god, the other side is a cave worshiping Mother. 

National monk Nguyen Minh Khong, self name Nguyen Chi Thanh, was born in 1066 in Diem Duong village (now Gia Thang commune, Gia Vien district).

He ordained at the age of 11 and made a brotherhood with Tu Dao Hanh and Nguyen Giac Hai. He is considered the god of medicine when he cures King Ly Than Tong’s “tiger” disease with herbal medicine. It can be said that he was one of the first people to find a cure with Southern medicine. He died in 1141, aged 76.

He is also known as the ancestor of bronze casting, who is credited with creating the famous “four great spirits” of the Ly Dynasty, which are Bao Thien tower, Quy Dien bell, Quynh Lam statue and Pho Minh cauldron.

Currently, he has many places in the country to set up temples. His name is closely associated with the Sinh Duoc garden at Bai Dinh mountain, the legends and legends about Saint Nguyen are still dense in the mountains of Bai Dinh pagoda and the surrounding areas.

Mother’s Worship Cave

This cave is also known as Dark cave / cave, worshiping the Holy Mother. There are 7 interconnected small caves. In the middle of the cave, there are stalactites hanging down like a pillar, called “the most sacred pillar” (a pillar against the sky).

Mother worship is indigenous to Vietnamese people. Dark Cave worships the goddess Lieu Hanh, who is both a saint and a human being, she is the mother of the world, known by everyone for “three births, three transformations”.

Fairy Pond

Inside the grotto there is a small pond called Ao Tien. This can also be considered a “happy gathering”, because the pond is formed naturally, the water from small stalactites drops all year round, so it never runs out of water.

New Bai Dinh pagoda mountain area

In 2003, based on the foundation of the ancient temple, Xuan Truong Construction Enterprise restored and invested in building a new Bai Dinh pagoda. Currently, the pagoda has 8 main construction items: Tam Quan Gate, Arhat Corridor, Bell Tower, Bodhisattva Guan Yin Palace, Phap Chu Temple, Tam The Palace, Maitreya Buddha and Bao Thap. With a number of records that have been certified by the Vietnam Book of Records Center, they are:

• The largest bronze bell in Vietnam (weighing 36 tons, 18.25m high).
• The bronze statue of Buddha Shakyamuni is the tallest and heaviest in Vietnam (weighing 100 tons, 10m high).
• The largest bronze statue of Tam The in Vietnam (each statue weighs 50 tons and is 7.2m high).
• The pagoda has the largest Water Well in Vietnam (30m in diameter).
• The largest bronze Buddha statue in Vietnam (weighing 80 tons, 5.4m high).
• Corridor of 500 Arhats, the most in Vietnam.
• The pagoda has the most Bodhi trees in Vietnam.
• The heaviest set of bronze diamond statues in Vietnam (each statue weighs 4 tons, 3.95m high).
• The bronze statue of Mr. Khuyen Thien and Chuoc Evil is the tallest and heaviest in Vietnam (20 tons each, 5.2m high).
• The pagoda has the largest wooden altar in Vietnam.
• The pagoda has the largest pair of bronze cranes in Vietnam.
• The largest bronze Maitreya Buddha statue in Southeast Asia (weighing 80 tons, 10m high).
• Asia’s tallest stupa (Asia’s tallest Buddhist stupa) is 99m high, with 13 floors.

In addition, the pagoda also has other works such as: Cultural Park and Buddhist Academy, Dam Thi lake area… still under construction.

The three-way gate of Bai Dinh pagoda

Three gates are 3 gates, according to Buddhism, that is Khong Quan, Trung Quan, Jia Quan; Tam Quan also means 3 gates: the door of suffering, the door of impermanence, the door of no-self.

Tam Quan is built entirely of wood, to build Tam Quan, people used about 550 tons of logs. Tam Quan has a bed-stack architecture, 16.5m high, 13m wide, 32m long.

In front of the three gates, on the left and right sides, there are two stone lions, representing the power of wisdom. In the case of placing in front of the Tam Quan it also carries the idea of ​​controlling the pilgrim’s soul.

In Tam Quan, on the right is a statue of the good deity, and on the left is a statue of the evil god.

Above the three gates, there is an image of the wheel of reincarnation, carved in the wind, symbolizing the ceaseless rhyme of Buddha Dharma, of heaven and earth.

In the middle is the swastika, symbolizing the fire of samadhi (sacred fire). The swastika also symbolizes the wisdom and compassion and generosity of the Buddha. The swastika expands to the two sides, representing the infinite movement of the Buddha’s power, extending to the four directions, extending endlessly.

Arhat Corridor (Arhat Street)

Along the left and right corridors, 500 Arhat statues, made of stone, are placed by artisans of Ninh Van stone village (Hoa Lu). Therefore, the corridor is also called the Arhat road.

Arhat Street consists of two rows, each row 117 compartments, 526m long. 

Arhats are disciples of Shakyamuni Buddha, they have not yet become Buddhas, so they are called Arhats. 

There are many jackfruit trees planted on both sides of this road. In Buddhism, jackfruit is Paramita. The Sino-Vietnamese sound is Paramita, which means “beyond the shore” (to the shore of enlightenment). The meaning of the jackfruit tree is great enlightenment, the peak is liberation. Therefore, the jackfruit tree is a sacred tree, associated with Buddhism (jackfruit wood is used for making pagodas, making Buddha statues; jackfruit leaves are used to make offerings to the Buddha, etc.).

Bai Dinh pagoda bell tower

The steeple has an octagonal architecture, has 3 curved roofs, 18.25m high, 17m in diameter, bearing the shape of a lotus. The steeple has one way up and one way down. 

The bronze bell inside the steeple weighs 36 tons, cast by artisans in Hue. This bell has been certified by the Vietnam Book of Records Center as the largest bronze bell in Vietnam.

Temple of Guan Yin Bodhisattva

This is a building made entirely of wood, about 900m ³ of logs were used for this work. The shrine consists of 7 compartments, 14.8m high, 16.8m wide, 40.4m long.

The statue of Bodhisattva Avalokitesvara is 5.4m high, including the pedestal is 9.57m; weighs 80 tons, if including the pedestal is about 100 tons.

As we all know, Guanyin is the buddha representing the four great immeasurables: great compassion, great compassion, great joy, and great equanimity, so everywhere, Guanyin Buddha always symbolizes kindness. compassion, save suffering, save all sentient beings.

On both sides of the thousand-eyed, thousand-armed Guanyin statue, there is also a statue of Avalokitesvara representing compassion and rejoicing placed on the left hand and on the right hand is Dai The Tri Bodhisattva representing wisdom. Both statues are made of wood, each statue is 10m high and weighs 4 tons.