Tran Quoc Pagoda inside Hanoian Hearts
Tran Quoc Pagoda is considered a cultural symbol of Vietnamese Buddhism. The pagodas followed strictly to Buddhism structure. There include 3 main houses: House of Ceremonies, Incense Burning House and upper Sanctuary. Behind the worshipping shrine is the Buddhist trinity followed by corridors, ten shrines and the belfry. There are many valuable statues inside the pagoda.
The most outstanding feature of the pagoda is the high stupa erected in 1998. This stupa has 11 floors with a height of 15m. Each floor has a vaulted window with a statue of Amitabha made from gemstone. On the top stands a nine-storey lotus (Cửu đỉnh liên hoa) and is also gemstone. The stupa is situated symmetrically with the 50-year-old Bodhi tree gifted by former Indian President on the occasion of his visit to Hanoi in 1959. Abbot Thich Thanh Nha explains the meaning of this correlation: “The lotus represent Buddha while the Bodhi is a symbol of supreme knowledge”.
With all the historical and architectural values it possesses, Tran Quoc Pagoda is not only worth visiting as a sacred sanctuary of Buddhism attracting but also a destination for cultural explorers to Vietnam. The pagoda usually attracts many Buddhist followers as well as domestic and foreign tourists.
The top 16 beautiful pagodas also include Toji Pagoda (Japan), Shwedagon Paya (Myanmar) and Global Vipassana (India).
