Thien Mu Pagoda
The Thien Mu Pagoda (Vietnamese: Chùa Thiên Mụ ; Hán tự: 天姥 寺; or Linh Mụ , 靈 姥) is a Buddhist monastery in Huế , Vietnam , located on a hill on the northern bank of the Perfume River . With the seven-story Phước Duyên tower, the pagoda is the tallest in Vietnam.
history
The Thien Mu Pagoda was built in the year of the metal buffalo in 1601 by Nguyễn Hoàng , the founder of the princely family of the Nguyen, in a simple construction. In 1600 he moved the capital of his southern empire to Phu Xuân , today's Huế.
Legend has it that at night on the hill by the Perfume River, an old woman was found wearing a long red dress and green pants, claiming that this place belonged to a deity. She demanded that a pagoda be built in the name of this deity, after which it disappeared in a cloud. Since that day the building has been called "The Pagoda of the Ancient Sky Goddess" or "Pagoda of the Heavenly Woman".
In 1665 the buildings were renovated and expanded under Nguyễn Hoàng's third successor, Nguyễn Phúc Tần . This had already extended the family's sphere of influence to the southern provinces. In 1710 his son, Nguyễn Phúc Chu, had a 3285 kg bell cast for the pagoda. In 1844 it was restored under Emperor Thiệu Trị and is now one of the most important sights in Vietnam. Two smaller pavilions protect the 2.50 m bell and a marble stele with the history of the temple. The 21 m high Phước Duyên tower, built later in 1844, is a reminder of the five Manushi Buddhas that, according to the Mahayana tradition, have appeared so far. The monastery complex with several halls and a garden with bonsai trees extends behind the high wall.
The monastery also has a rather unusual sight, an old Austin , a small car that is on the site in a garage. On the windshield of this Austin is a photo that went around the world in 1963 and caused horror. The photo shows the self-immolation of the monk Thích Quảng Đức on June 11, 1963 in protest against the Buddhist persecution and oppression by the Catholic dictator Ngô Đình Diệm . In the said car, the monk had himself driven to a crossroad in Saigon , poured gasoline over him and set it on fire. The photo also caused a sensation in the USA. Five months later, the US dropped the dictator Diem.
Web links
Individual evidence
- ^ Seth Jacobs: Cold War Mandarin. Ngo Dinh Diem and the Origins of America's War in Vietnam, 1950–1963. Rowman & Littlefield, Lanham MD et al. 2006, ISBN 0-7425-4447-8 .
Coordinates: 16 ° 27 '13 " N , 107 ° 32' 41.3" E