Nowadays, investment in Ninh Binh tourism is a new tendency. Besides, eco-tourism, spiritual tourism in Ninh Binh is developing rapidly. There are many ancient pagodas attracting the tourists to come and visit. Dau Long Pagoda is one of them.
Explanation for the name
Dau Long Pagoda is also called Dau Pagoda in short by people living in Ninh Binh Vietnam. It is because the pagoda is located in the north of Phuc Am old commune, where the North Star shines. The word “Long” means dragon which refers to the terrain with the shape of a dragon.
In the pagoda, there is a part of the couplets which means that the North Star and the Altair Star light the pagoda up. therefore, the name of the pagoda is the combination of “Dau” (the North Star) and “Long” (dragon-shaped land)
Location of the pagoda
Dau Long Pagoda is in Dau Long Street, Tan Thanh Ward, Ninh Binh City. The pagoda is wider than many other sites in Ninh Binh with an area of about 3 hectares.
Dau Long Pagoda faces the southwest. It is an ancient pagoda where the third son of Tran Hung Dạo, Tran Quoc Tang led a religious life. The vast land with beautiful natural settings has attracted many visitor of Ninh Binh tour
Overview of Dau Long Pagoda
Dau Long Pagoda is surrounded with the residential walls. Tam Quan Gate (three-door gate) of the pagoda is southwest facing. Tam Quan Gate has a bell on the second floor and two stone column in the two sides.
Going through Tam Quan Gate, the tourists can see the tiled yard with a large pool. Inside the pool is a dragon heading towards the pagoda.
In the south of the pool is the tablet house with 4 small compartments. The house was built with square stone columns, 2-tier roof. There are 6 stone tablets craved history and the merits of people who donated to establish the pagoda.
In the southeast of the tablet house is a pond which is 15m long and 8m wide. In the middle of the pond, there is a miniature landscaping with the statue of Avalokiteśvara Bodhisattva casted of white concrete with the height of 2m.
Passing the large yard with many bonsai, the tourist will reach the main part of Dau Long Pagoda. In font of the pagoda, there is an 1.6-meter-high incense burner.
Tien Duong (the main compartment of the old architecture in Vietnam which was used as a place of worship) has 5 wide compartments with two ones in the two ends. In Tien Duong, the statues of Ho Phap, Duc Thanh Hien and Duc Ong were placed for people to worship.
Hau Cung (the apse) with 3 compartments is the place of Buddhist worship. The statues of Buddha was ordered from high to low.
Behind Hau Cung is the Ancestor House
Dau Long Pagoda is the place of worship not only Buddha but also 9 historical figures. In addition to the statues of Tran Hung Dao, a famous general of Tran Dynasty venerated as the Saint and his third son Hung Nhuong Dai Vuong (Tran Quoc Tang), there are 7 statues of the historical figures. They are:
Duc Thanh Ca or Saint Quy Minh, the general under the reign of King Hung the 18th.
Emperor Le Dai Hanh, the successor of Emperor Dinh Tien Hoang, the foundẻ of Former Le Dynasty.
Nguyen Bac or Dinh Quoc Cong, the people helping Dinh Bo Linh defeat 12 warlords, one of the four famous people in the court under the reign of Dinh Tien Hoang.
Nguyen Tu Quoc Mau, mother of Hung Nhuong Vuong, who was venerated as Thanh Mau (Holy Mother)
Truong Han Dieu, a talented mandarin privileged by Tran Hung Dao.
Pho Ho Dai Vuong, the person who is wholehearted for the nation and civilians.
The tourists who go on Ninh Binh full day tour also choose Dau Long pagoda as a destination to discover the history of feudalism in Vietnam.
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