But Thap Pagoda - A special national relic with unique ancient architecture

The pagoda was inspired by “Noi Cong Ngoai Quoc” structural style, and incorporates 10 structures spread more than 100m, from the three-entrance door to the bell tower and back house. Two towers, 10m high Ton Duc and 13m high Bao Nghiem, are made of white rock, influencing the pagoda to appear to be higher, more majestic and tranquil.This place keeps 4 National Treasures including: Quan Am Thien Thu Thien Nhan statue (Buddha statue with thousand eyes, thousand hands – recognized as national treasure of Vietnam); three statues of Tam The, Nine Products Court and Perfume court (Hương án).

Panorama of But Thap pagoda.

The path leading to the temple.

Triple-World Gate (Cổng Tam Quan).

But Thap Pagoda with ancient and dignified architecture.

The steles are invaluable history pages that tell about the history of the temple, the restoration times, and many other information about the history, culture, beliefs and religions.

The most surprising one that might be famous to Vietnamese people as well as foreigners is Bodhisattva Kuan-yin statue, which has 3.7m stature, 11 heads, a hundreds hands with each hand has an eye. The statue is viewed as a novel perfect work of art and speaks to secretive implications in Buddhism

In particular, visitors to But Thap Pagoda will be surprised at the beauty of the nine-story lotus tower, which is in an octagonal shape and 7.8 metres tall. The nine stories of this tower, with lotus patterns engraved, reflect the nine religious lives of Lord Buddha and contain hundreds of high relief sculptures of the Buddha, monks, as well as plants and animals, aiming to encourage people to do good actions and steer clear of evil.

Perfume court - the most outstanding being the one placed in the upper hall. Showing the skills of the artisans who made it, the uniqueness of this altar lies in not only its large size or sophisticated engravings but also the topics of decorations, especially dragon patterns.

The statutes of the Buddhas of the three times: Amitabha - the Buddha of the past, Shakyamuni - the Buddha of the present, and Maitreya - the Buddha of the future. All have kind, serene, and also noble faces.

Another feature is Bao Nghiem tower (But Thap). The eight-side pinnacle, which is resemble an enormous pen brush upraising toward the sky, is tall 13m and incorporates five story obstructs, each corner has one chime.

The stone sculpture architecture is shown vividly and successfully in the national relic, especially But Thap pagoda.

But Thap Pagoda preserves nearly 100 Buddha statues.