The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism gave on Jun 8 a reply to Bac Giang provincial People's Committee province on the appraisal of an economic - technical report on restoration and embellishment of Tu An temple belonging to the Bo Da pagoda special national relic site in Tien Son commune of Bac Giang province’s Viet Yen district.
Accordingly, the culture, sport and tourism ministry has agreed with the provincial People's Committee on some report contents for building a wooden ladder to the 2nd floor and a bell at the steeple, building new walls with soil material, and the embellishment of a footpath leading to the temple along with the yard and garden constructions belonging to the relic.
The culture, sport and tourism ministry also suggested the provincial authority not to build the Three-Gate construction because the pagoda relic already has one, and assign provincial functional agencies to complete the dossier and make public the planned renovation of the relic before implementing next steps in accordance with the state law.
Document No.1871 of culture, sport and tourism ministry
The plan to restore and embellish Tu An temple is part of the preservation and restoration of the special national relic of Bo Da pagoda plan, previously approved by the Prime Minister at Decision No.111/QD- TTg dated January 22, 2021 on approving the task of formulating the planning of preservation and restoration of the Bo Da pagoda special national relic site in Bac Giang province’s Viet Yen district.
Bo Da pagoda special national relic site
According to history, Bo Da pagoda was built under the Ly Dynasty and embellished by a mandarin named Phạm Kim Hưng under the Revival Le dynasty (Lê Trung Hưng). The pagoda was once chosen as a training place for monks of the Lam Te Zen sect.
Bo Da pagoda is currently one of the two major Buddhist worshipping places in Bac Giang province, with four main constructions of Cao temple, Tam Duc temple, Tu An temple, and the tower garden.
Tu An temple was built in the reign of King Lê Dụ Tông (18th century), and has been restored in the Nguyen Dynasty (19th-XX centuries) and recent years. The difference between Tu An temple and other ancient Buddhist temples in the Northern Delta region of Vietnam is the incorporated worship of three religions of Buddhism, Confucianism and Taoism.
Tu An temple currently preserves nearly 2,000 woodblocks of ancient Buddhist sutras which carved since 1740 by many generations of the Lam Te Zen sect’s monks.
Woodblocks of Buddhist sutras preserved in Tu An temple
