Hi everyone, it's been a long time since I've been back here, I've taken the time to reset my life. I have a lot of things I want to share with everyone, but because I don't have time to write, I can only wait until I have a free opportunity to share with everyone. And today, after a long time of hiding, I decided to find the inspiration to write on Hive again.
Today I would like to introduce to you a very sacred place that I visited during the traditional Vietnamese New Year called Sac Tu Khai Doan Pagoda.
Where is that place?
The place that I want to share with you is Sac Tu Khai Doan Pagoda in Dak Lak, my hometown. This is considered an ancient temple with unique architectural features and thanks to that, this pagoda has become a famous spiritual tourist destination in Buon Ma Thuot city.
When coming to Daklak - the land of the Central Highlands full of sunshine and wind, people will often think of new and unique tourist attractions such as the majestic Dray-sap and Dray-nur waterfalls, the amazing beauty of Daklak and the majestic beauty of Daklak. Da Voi Mountain, green tea hills or visiting the snow-white beauty in the blooming coffee season... In addition to those wild beauty, right in the heart of Buon Ma Thuot city, there is a A very peaceful place full of cultural and historical graces that if you have a chance to visit Daklak, you should not miss it is Sac Tu Khai Doan Pagoda.
Location: The pagoda is located at 117 Phan Boi Chau street - Thong Nhat ward - Buon Ma Thuot city. Up to the present time, Sac Tu Khai Doan Pagoda is the largest ancient pagoda in Dak Lak.
The special thing of The pagoda
Sac Tu Khai Doan is not only special because it is the largest pagoda, but this is the first pagoda of Buddhism in Daklak and it is also the last pagoda to be awarded the title of the feudal regime.
You may not know, the name of the pagoda is derived from the name of King Khai Dinh and Queen Doan Huy, people have combined the names of the king and queen to name the pagoda Sac Tu Khai Doan.
When entering the temple gate, the first thing that catches my eye is the big banyan tree standing in the middle of the temple yard. In Vietnam, the banyan tree is one of the trees that represent the sacredness of the spiritual realm and most people show their self-respect to that tree. The trunk is very big, maybe 4-5 people can't hold it, its foliage seems to be spreading its arms to protect the temple.
Inside the temple, you will see the words "walk softly" and leave your slippers and shoes outside to show respect for the Buddhas in the temple. The interior of the pagoda is made of ironwood, making it even more sacred.
Unique architecture of Sac Tu Khai Doan pagoda
I would like to introduce a few features about Khai Doan Pagoda. According to wikipedia, the main hall of the pagoda is 320 m² wide, consisting of two parts, the front part is designed in the style of a long house of the Ede ethnic group in the Central Highlands, but the frame is in the style of the ruong house of Hue. The back part of the pagoda has modern architecture that makes it both retain the ancient beauty, exude modern beauty and maintain the historical culture of the Basalt red land. The pagoda owns a golden brown color, viewed from afar, the curved tile roofs have a beauty that is both elegant and unique, all blending into the green of the surrounding nature to create a beautiful scene.
The architecture of the entire pagoda includes the three-way gate (main gate) facing the southwest, the main hall, the Quan Am temple, the post-ancestral house and the preacher. In 1951, the temple was built with two parts: the post-ancestor and the preacher, the main hall was built in 1953.
The three-way gate is located on Phan Boi Chau street with two floors with three arches 7m high and 10.5m wide. Quan Am Palace has a hexagonal shape and is built separately from the main hall, with six very large wooden pillars and intricately sculpted dragons and clouds.
The statue of Shakyamuni Buddha is made of bronze, 1.1m high and a lotus carved with other precious wood is placed in the middle of the main hall to show respect and is also the most sacred feature of the pagoda. On the right side of the main hall hangs a bronze bell weighing 380kg, 1.15m high, cast by artisans in Hue Citadel in 1954.
Inside the pagoda campus, there are also Buddha statues of 18 Arhats to protect this pagoda.
On the 30th, 1st and 15th day of the lunar month, many people often come here to burn incense and pray for a happy and healthy life. I went here on the traditional New Year day so it was very crowded. I also came here to pray for my family's peace and also to visit the sacred beauty of Sac Tu Khai Doan pagoda.
And this is my companion on this trip, she has been my close friend for 7 years and it seems that every year on New Year's Day we go to the temple to pray for peace.
The entire architecture of the temple is perfectly represented by other very sophisticated and marvelous carvings, perhaps the architects had to devote all their enthusiasm and experience to be able to make the temple worthy of the title of the most beautiful ancient temple in the Central Highlands.
If you have the opportunity to come to Daklak and want to find a place of exquisite and sacred beauty, or find a place to meditate, don't miss this unique pagoda. And when coming to Daklak, you should travel by motorbike to be able to visit and feel the beauty of this place.
Thank you for reading my post, have a nice day.