Located in Nhan Duc commune, Hien Nam ward, Hung Yen city, Bell Pagoda is part of the Pho Hien – a historical and cultural relic complex that attracts tourists coming to Hung Yen province.
Legend has it that in a cataclysmic year, a gold bell on a raft floated down the river to the alluvial ground of Nhan Duc Hamlet.
The villagers built a pagoda to hang the bell. Every time the bell was struck, its sound travelled for thousands of miles. Thus the temple is called Bell Pagoda.
Bell Pagoda was built under the reign of the Le Dynasty in the 15th century, and it was upgraded in 1702. The ꦛpagoda has the same structure as many pagodas in the north, consisting of a three-door entrance gate, forecourt, front-worshipping rooms.
Behind the three-door entrance gate is the stone bridge dated back to 1702. There is a path in the middle of the ground.
“I have come here for many times. I see the pagoda not only is a sacred place but it also has a beautiful landscape. As far as I know, the pagoda is the oldest in the north,” Luu Thi Ngoc Lan, a local visitor said.
Bell Pagoda is famous for many Buddha statues, notably are 18 Arhats, four Bodhisattvas and the King of Hell’s Seven Court Halls along the two corridors.
According to monk Thich Thanh Hai from the Bell Pagoda, the statues here date back hundreds of years.
“They are made of soil, different with those in Tay Phương Pagoda which are made of wood. The statues need to be kept dry so that they remain intact,” he said.
With its historical, cultural and architectural values, Bell Pagoda was recognized as artistic architectural relic by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism in 1992, and has become a popular tourist attraction. According to many, a visit to Hung Yen would be incomplete without seeing Bell Pagoda.-VNA
