Bảo tàng lịch sử Quốc gia

The pagoda Long Doi Son, famous in history with its tower Bao Thap Sung Thien Dien Linh, was constructed by King Ly Nhan Tong in the second year Thien Phu Due Vu (1121). The site is situated on the top of the hill Doi, one of the remaining hills of the south of Hanoi, belonging to the hamlet Doi Nhi, commune of Doi Son, district of Duy Tien (Hanam).

The population is transmitting the following verses about the situation of this site: The head lays on the hill Doi, the feet are touching Tuan Vuong, it is the place of origine of a series of kings which succeed one another through ten thousand years.

This is a place where “the land is sacred and the people are heroes”. Its history is tied to the river Chau and to the mountain Doi in a position of prostrated dragon. It is compared to a huge dragon prostrated in the middle of a fertile plain. From the top of the hill, one can distinguish nine streams converging to the mountain Doi like nine dragons coming to present their salutation. There remain nine wells still in usage the water of which is never exhausted. They are considered as the eyes of the dragons.

The pagoda Long Doi is now situated on the top of the mountain, separated from daily life. It seems that the space of the pagoda has little changed during its existence and has conserved its atmosphere of profound calm like in pagodas, the more so that the pagoda has conserved vestiges from the time of Ly.

- The famous stele Sung Thien Dien Linh is placed before the pagoda; it is 2,88m high and 1,40m wide. It was erected in 1121, with refined engraved lines figuring dragons, clouds and water, a characteristic of the art of the Ly.

- In the corridor before the pagoda are conserved 6 of the 8 statues of Kim Cuong from the Ly which are statues placed in the tower Bao Thap together with other vestiges such as materials and architectural decorations of the pagoda and of the tower.

- In the south-east of the pagoda is the garden of the tower-tombs of bonzes, with 37 towers of various dimensions, constructed during the existence of the pagoda. It is a garden of ancient and rare towers among actual pagodas.

The tradition reports that in the X-XI^th centuries, the pagoda Long Doi Son was only a little house of worship, which the Bonze Superior Dam Cuu Chi has had reconstructed and enlarged. In XII^th century, during one of his rounds, King Ly Nhan Tong came and witnessed the ruins of the pagoda in middle of a beautiful landscape. He has had the pagoda reconstructed. The stele has reported the reconstruction of the pagoda and of the tower: the pagoda is turned toward the river Kinh the surface of which is calm as green silk, standing against the mountain Diep which after the rain is comparable to embroidered brocade. On the right, it dominates the plain until the ancient wall Can Hung; on the left, it runs along the river Han Thuy until the sea. Ordering to the workers to begin the work, dispensing money to illuminate the virtues. Other architectural works are constructed such as: on the left is constructed the square palace, on the right is constructed the storehouse. Are constructed the wall of protection, the veranda of decoration, a bridge to enlarge the hamlet.

For the tower Bao Thap: Use the stone Man as bushel, the stone Vu to construct the veranda. Construct 13 tower storeys, 40 doors to receive the wind. The walls are decorated with dragons, the beams support bronze bells. In the upper floor is placed the golden box of relic from which emanates the light illuminating the prosperity of future generations. On the roof is placed the statue of a fairy bringing a plate to receive the dew from the sky. The inferior storey is protected by 8 good-looking warriors holding swords. In the middle is the statue of Da Bao Nhu Lai, ready to sacrifice himself.

The pagoda was constructed from 1118 to 1121. King Ly Nhan Tong assisted himself to the inauguration and gave to the tower the name of Bao Thap.

The pagoda and the tower subsist during 300 years until the end of the Tran. Under the Le, the pagoda fell into ruins under the destruction of the Minh, the tower and the stele were destroyed. On the rear face of the stele Sung Thien Dien Linh is still preserved the hand-writing of King Le Thanh Tong with the poem of the 8^th year Quang Thuan (1467), reporting the events (this poem has been copied by Phan Huy Chu in his book Lich trieu hien chuong loai chi).

The stele Sung Thien Dien Linh reports also that the pagoda has been repaired and modified under the Mac: in 1551, the pagoda is seriously damaged, The mandarin leading the district of Duy Tan (Duy Tien) has coordinated with the population of the hamlets Doi Tin, Doi Trung et Doi Linh to collect forces to erect the fallen stele, replace the beams and to replace the statues so that after more than 500 years, a beautiful landscape in the forest of pine-trees has been made as new.

From then until the time of Nguyen, the pagoda is continuously repaired, vestiges such as stele and bells show that there has been a great reparation under the reign of King Tu Duc. In 1860, the superior altar was repaired as well as the steeple and the three-doored kiosk. At this time, the pagoda has until 100 cases and was the place of profession of buddhist doctrine of the region. In 1864, the veranda was repaired, the statue of Di Lac was moulded as well as the bell…

During the anti-French war of resistance, the pagoda was submitted to the no man’s land tactics and fell into ruins for about 10 years. In the years 1957-1960, the population of the village began to repair the pagoda; all the wooden structure of the Van Chi nearby is mobilized to reconstruct the pagoda. In 1992, the pagoda was classified as national vestige. Since then, the pagoda is constantly repaired and becomes a center of buddhism of the region.

The process of formation and existence of the pagoda Long Doi shows that it is a famous site with a long history having ups and downs, among which the most serious event influencing the site is the destruction of the Minh invaders which completely levelled down the tower Bao Thap.

In 2001, the National Museum of Vietnamese History and the Service of culture and Information of Hanam have undertaken an archaeological excavation in order to determine the situation and the extension of the tower Bao Thap as well as to solve relative problems, in order to furnish a basis for the restoration and historical and cultural valorization of the site. The study has discovered traces of foundations, architectural materials of the time of Ly at a depth from 0,5 – 0,67m to 1m – 12,4m and it is concluded that this is just the vestiges of the tower Bao Thap Sung Thien Dien Linh, spoken of in the annals, the steles and the popular tradition.

Now, these architectural vestiges have been recovered by roofs to be protected on place, in order to facilitate the study and the exhibition. Fortunately, one has been able to conserve the stele Sung Thien Dien Linh, a precious historical document, an original artistical work of the Ly which furnishes many informations on the history of buddhism in the Dai Viet of the Ly, especially on the ceremonies in Thang long – Hanoi such as the lamp procession Quang Chieu which could give an idea of the role of the ancient citadel Thang Long…

Nguyen Van Doan