There has been a strong development of Buddhism in Truc Ninh district of the Northern Province of Nam Dinh, and this development is currently demonstrated by many remaining places of Buddhist worship and festival.
The district is presently home to 60 Buddhist temples and pagodas. Some of these Buddhist worshipping places have a history from 200 to 500 years old and have been classified as historical and cultural relics, such as pagodas of Co Le (in Co Le town), Co Nhat and Cu Tru (in Phuong Dinh commune), Phuc Ninh (in Truc Cuong commune) and Nam Lang (in Truc Tuan commune), etc.
Most of pagodas in Truc Ninh was built from 12th century under Ly and Tran dynasties to 19th century under Nguyen dynasty.
Pagodas awarded the historical and cultural title are actually worshipping complexes comprising of temples dedicated to the worship of Buddhist figures, such as the Buddha and Buddhist Bodhisattvas, saints and village tutelages.
Each pagoda frequently holds Buddhist ceremonies, such as the Buddha’s Birthday, the Buddhist Parents Day, the Traditional New Year, as well as Buddhist rituals and services on monthly basis.
In addition, each pagoda also organizes its traditional festival every year. This is often a big event honoring the founder of the pagoda or the village god for their meritorious contributions and services to the local community. The pagoda festival usually features traditional Buddhist and worshipping rituals, such as incense offering, procession, Buddhist recitation, invocation and prayers, and folk games and native art performances.
The most typical Buddhist place of worship and culture is probably Co Le pagoda. The pagoda was built by Zen Buddhist Nguyễn Minh Không during the Lý dynasty under the reign of King Lý Thần Tông (1128-1138). In 1920 Abbot Monk Phạm Quang Tuyên rebuilt it, inspired by European Gothic architecture. There is a nine-storey lotus-shaped tower in front of the pagoda. In the centre of the pagoda stands a 9,000kg bronze bell cast in 1936.
Every year, the pagoda's festival takes place from the 13th to the 16th of the 9th lunar month. There are many traditional rituals involve such as: procession ceremonies, wrestling, human chess... especially boating/ swimming competition in the river that run through the pagoda with the participation of five family lineages.
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