Cam (Cấm) Mountain is the most imposing among the seven mountains (That Son) (Thất Sơn) of An Giang province. Cam Mountain - also known as Thien Cam Son (Thiên Cẩm Sơn) - is about 716 meters high. On this mountain, there is Van Linh (Vạn Linh) pagoda which is a famous landscape in the triangle Nha Ban (Nhà Bàn) - Tinh Bien (Tinh Biên) and (Tri Ton) Tri Tôn.
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Van Linh pagoda |
Van Linh pagoda was once La (Lá) (the leaf) mountain which was built by the monk from Ben Tre (Bến Tre) provice Nguyen Van Xung (Nguyễn Văn Xứng). This pagoda was initially built by simple bamboos. In 1940, it was officially called Van Linh. It was then heavily damaged in the wars against French colony and America. At that time, Mr Lam Cao Kia (Lâm Cao Kiá) - a local person - repaired and rebuilt the Leaf Pagoda right at its old place. He also built an altar to worship the Buddha. After 1975, when Vietnam was completely independent, people started to repair and restore the Van Linh pagoda.
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The statue of the Maitreya at the top of Cam Mountain |
Van
Linh pagoda consists of 2 parts which are constructed with eastern
color and style: the front and the back. There are many statues of the
Buddha which are gold painted in the center temple - a very solemn and
quite place. In the front part, there is a nine-story bell tower with a
Dai Hong Chung (Đại Hồng Chung) (a great copper bell) of 1.2 ton. At
the right site of the center temple, there is a temple of ancestors.
And at the center, there is a nine-story (35 meters) statue of Quan Am
(Quan Âm) (a female god). There are also 3 other small, sharp towers
outside which increase the solemn view of the pagoda. Behind the back
part and around the pagoda, there are many flower and fruit gardens
full of peaceful shade.
The Van Linh Pagoda located at the top of the solemn Cam Mountain is really a ecological, cultural and religious tourist destination for people from the rest of the world.
Source: simplevietnam.com
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