Chuong (Bell) Pagoda has another name of Kim Chung Tu and is located at Nhan Duc Hamlet, Hien Nam Ward, Hung Yen Township. According to an old legend, in a year of deludge long time ago, there was a golden bell on a raft drifting into the river bank belonging to the locality of Nhan Duc Hamlet. People from different villages tried to bring it to their regions but were impossible to do that. Only the notables of Nhan Duc Hamlet could tug that bell. The inhabitants in Nhan Duc supposed that the Creator and Buddha had helped them, so they together built a pagoda to hang this bell. Every time people strike the bell, its sound resounds to as far as thousands of miles. Therefore, this pagoda has the name of Kim Chung Tu (i.e. Golden Bell Pagoda).
The three-door temple gate of the pagoda |
Chuong pagoda's was constructed as the traditional architectural style - a typical style of the 17th century with a view of splitting from the mundane life. Some special parts that can be listed are: the three-door temple gate, the front anteroom, the premiere sanctum and the house worshipping the ancestors.
The spans of bridge in the pagoda |
Before entering the pagoda, people going on a pilgrimage have to step over the three-door temple gate. The main gate in the middle which is the highest and largest one is closed all the year, except some occasions like the first and fifteenth days of lunar months and Tet holidays. By contrast, the two other gates are opened frequently for pilgrims. After the gates are the three spans of the green stone bridge crossing the "dragon's eye" pond. Following is the path called "the only right path" leading to the front anteroom house.
The front anteroom house has five compartments and two lean-tos. The premiere sanctum with a system of statues arranged unusually variously along with profound meanings of each line of statues and each individual statue.
At two edges at the west and east, two rows of corridors which are simply designed link the front anteroom with the model house.
Nowadays,
Chuong Pagoda still preserved some architectural articles and displayed
items with high value such as. Firstly, there are a stone bridge and a
stone shrine made in 1702. In addition, a big stone stele which is 1.65
metres high and 1.1 metres wide and was erected in 1717 has two sides:
the front side describes the beautiful scenery of Pho Hien and the back
side with the words "Nhan Duc co tich truyen" (i.e. Nhan Duc's legend
imparted) records the names of people who restored and contributed for
the pagoda, including some Chinese persons. And the last ones are a
long musical stone (similar function with bell but has flat surface)
which is 1.46 metres long and 0.66 metre high and a brass bell with the
height of 1.28 metres.
From the documents found on the stone
stele, the researchers suppose that there used to be a thousand-mile
path connecting Hien Street and Thang Long at the front of pagoda and
they record the administrative units (wards) of Hien Street at that
time. The pagoda is recognised as a national cultural - historical
relic by the Ministry of Culture and Information and has become a
destination that travelers must visit when coming to Hien Street.
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Chu Dong Tu Temple | Chuong Pagoda |