Pilgrimage

In part one of series on the topic of “Pilgrimage”, four temples Angkor Wat, Pha That Luang, Sultan Omar Ali Saifuddin's Mosque and Shwedagon were introduced. Each of them had its unique beauty, but in general, they were magnificent. In part two, three more famous temples will be explored. Do the three temples have similarities with the temples mentioned in the previous section?

Bai Dinh Temple Complex, Vietnam

Bai Dinh Temple Complex, Vietnam

Bai Dinh Temple Complex consists of an ancient pagoda and a new pagoda built in 2003. The complex is located on the slope, between the vast valleys of the lake and the rock, in the western gateway to the ancient capital of Hoa Lu.

The ancient pagoda is located about 800 meters south of the new pagoda. This pagoda is facing the west, located near the top of a rather quiet mountainous area, consisting of a median frontage, turning to the right is the morning cave Buddha, then Cao Son Temple near the backdoor of the morning cave. Turning to the left is the Temple of St. Nguyen, then the evening cave Fairy. Although the temple has a history dating from the Dinh Dynasty with the Cao Son temple standing in the West of Hoa Lu, the ancient Bai Dinh pagoda has many architectural details and antiques bearing the bold mark of the Ly.

The new pagoda is a large project with many main architectural items: Tam The, Phap Chien, Quan Am, Bao Thap, Bell Tower, Maitreya Buddha statue, the Buddhist academy, the reception area, the Three Kingdoms, etc are built in various stages. The most distinctive of Bai Dinh pagoda architecture is the dark arched roof of the phoenix tail, it is not the same as the rough line of the Chinese temple. The architectural details of the pagoda are also marked by famous traditional villages in Vietnam, such as using local raw materials (Ninh Binh green stone, ivory wood, Bat Trang dark brown glaze, etc)

Foya Temple, Singapore

Foya Temple, Singapore

The temple, located in Chinatown, was built in the Tang Dynasty of China with red highlights. It is considered the largest Buddhist art museum in Singapore.

The Buddha Stupa has 5 floors and 1 basement. Right of the shrine, there are three large Buddha statues. Around the large statues, there are hundreds of smaller Buddha statues. With the yellow and red tones, the larger space is majestic and elegant. From 1st floor to 2nd floor there is a mezzanine where the Dharma Hall, the museum of the monks and the Bodhisattva Bodhisattva is located.
The 2nd floor has the Bodhisattva Hall, Room A Lan Nha displays the calligraphy, paintings and sculptures as well as the Buddhist materials as well as room to store data, images of the process of building pagodas.

To the 3rd floor is a place to display documents and artifacts on all three branches of the Japanese religion and events related to Buddha's life in the Museum of Buddhist culture. Besides, the relics of the great monks from many countries around the world are also kept in this area.

The special feature of the Buddhist temple is the 4th floor - the most important and majestic. Here are the remains of the tooth Buddha was discovered in 1980 by the monk Cakkapala on the hill Bagan in Myanmar. Coral teeth are placed behind the curtain. Every day the curtain is only two times to reveal to Buddhist as well as tourists to admire, pray.

The 5th floor is also the highest floor of the temple. Coming here, you will be immersed in a quiet garden, admire the greenery and the iconic flower of Singapore - orchids. Surely when you come here, your soul will be purified and relieved incredible.

Borobudur Temple, Indonesia

Borobudur Temple, Indonesia

Borobudur was built between the 8th and the 9th century, in the Sailendra dynasty. Situated on a hilltop between the fertile plain, Borobudur stands out in the middle of the pan, surrounded by forested mountains. The temple of Borobudur, after the fall of the Buddhist Sailendra dynasty, was abandoned and forgotten during the 10th century. In 1970, the Indonesian government calls for the help of UNESCO. The restored Borobudu don’t have similarities with the original one, but it is still widely admired for its look. 

From the foothills climbs more than 15 meters to the temple grounds. The structure of the map consists of 12 large, open, small, square, alternating, overlapping, overlapping layers forming a 42 meter high block. The length of each bottom edge is 123 m. The 1st floor has square planes, each four sides aligned in four directions: East, West, South, North. Between the sides of the vacant 7.38 m, the two sides set the large lion stone on the two sides. Each statue is 1.7 meters high, including a pedestal, 1.26 meters long and 0.8 meters wide.

The 2nd floor is 1.52 m higher than the first floor. The second floor map is not in the square form as on the first floor, but rather the polygon with 20 edges, almost hugging the hill. The second floor, though, still has four large sides facing the four sky line, the middle has four levels. The two sides of the deck have two curved braces very graceful. At the end of the railing is a very large elephant head, in the mouth bite a lion. At the other end of the railing, a lion with a broad muzzle, leaning against the wall. 

From the 3rd floor to the 12th floor, there is a square shape, the top third floor in the form of circles. On each floor, there are many temples built look like arch cups, the largest arch in the middle, the two sides are smaller. At the top of the tower is a roof bell-shaped. All the stairways from the 1st to the 9th floor are covered with carvings, carved elaborately, depicting the life of Shakyamuni Buddha, the Bodhisattvas and the enlightened Buddhists, as well as scenes on nirvana or in hell, etc. The top three flat, smooth floors with 72 lattice bell towers. Inside the bell towers, there are 72 sitting Buddha statues (first floor 2.32 m, second floor 2.24)

Useful link: https://southeastasiatravel.us/