Giac
Vien Pagoda is located about 10km south-west of downtown
Ho Chi Minh City, amid a quiet area near Dam Sen (lotus
pond) tourist park. It has the ancient architecture of the
pagodas built in the Nguyen dynasty of the 19th century,
and typical characteristics of the southern area in terms
of the architecture, design and arrangement of the
worshipping shrines.
In 1789, a monk who
was in charge of taking care of the restoration of Giac
Lam Pagoda, built a small pavilion for his daily prayers,
called Quart Am Cac (Kwan Yin Pavilion). In the third year
under king Tu Duc's reign (1850), the pavilion was rebuilt
and named Giac Vien Pagoda. When building Dam Sen tourist
park, the Management Board decided to preserve Giac Vien
Pagoda intact and incorporate it into the park, making the
park more attractive due to its cultural-historical value.
Giac Vien Pagoda has
typical features, of southern Vietnam. The main shrine,
also a big hall, is 360 sq. rn in area, and used to
worship Buddha. To its East and West, there are corridors,
a room for the monks to prepare clothing before assisting
the Superior Monk, and a large and spacious compartment at
the rear. Along the corridors, there are small altars with
worshipping items. In particular, there are rows of wooden
pillars engraved with parallel sentences. The letters are
carved delicately and painted with red lacquer and trimmed
with gold. Around them there are decorative designs of
leaves and climbing plants. All 153 statues in the pagoda
are made of jack wood. The faces and postures of the
statues look honest and they are placed low, creating a
close feeling between them and the viewers.
The most
attractive items are 60 plates, which are engraved on both
sides made of jack wood. They are and made with gold. The
most beautiful plate is engraved with 18 fat, honest and
smiling Arhats, with each riding on the back of a buffalo,
a cow, a pig, a goat, etc. Some plates are engraved with
birds, ducks, fish, etc., but all looking alive. Other
plates are carved with fruits popular in the South, such
as coconut, mangosteen, durian, rambutan, etc. These
wooden engravings are the only ones that have been kept
intact in Vietnam. The Buddhist spirit of the ancient Viet
people, during their migration South, accepted different
religious tendencies and sects, on condition that they
were useful to society. This is clearly seen through the
items preserved at Giac Vien pagoda. For this reason, Giac
Vien Pagoda became a centre for worshipping ceremonies and
discussions on Buddhism of the six southern provinces in
the 19th century- a prosperous time for Buddhist followers
and talents whose works remain valuable until today. Giac
Vien Pagoda has been classified by the State as a cultural
relic and a mini-museum of wooden engrav ings of
historical and artistic Value. For this reason, it
attracts a lot of researchers and visitors |