Bronze casting of the Maitreya Buddha statue at Ho Son pagoda, Princess Huyen Tran temple
The board of directors of Vietnam’s Buddhist Sangha in Nam Dinh and the Cultural Heritage Research Institute recently held a ceremony for the bronze casting of the Maitreya Buddha statue at Ho Son pagoda, Princess Huyen Tran temple.
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| A praying ritual prior to the casting of the Maitreya Buddha statue. (Photo: Cultural Heritage Research Institute) |
Ho Son pagoda was built over 700 years ago and was where Princess Huyen Tran, daughter of Emperor Tran Nhan Tong, set up a temple to worship Buddha. According to history books, on a visit to Champa in 1301, Emperor Tran Nhan Tong promised to give his daughter in marriage to the King of Champa. In 1306, Princess Huyen Tran boarded a flower palanquin to Champa and became the wife of King Che Man to keep the peace between the two countries.
To repay Emperor Tran Nhan Tong, King Che Man of Champa gave him the two provinces of Chau O and Chau Ly as a wedding gift. However, the marriage only lasted more than 1 year as King Che Man soon died of illness. According to Champa tradition, Princess Huyen Tran, who was the King’s most beloved, was to be cremated along with him. However, she had just given birth to the Crown Prince Che Da Da.
After hearing the news, Emperor Tran Anh Tong, Princess Huyen Tran’s brother, sent a general to Champa to rescue her. After 10 months at sea, in August 1308, Princess Huyen Tran and the general finally reached the Imperial Citadel of Thang Long.
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| Monks praying around the statue to prepare for the copper pouring. (Photo: Cultural Heritage Research Institute) |
In early 1309, Princess Huyen Tran asked her father, who was a monk in Yen Tu at the time, for permission to become a monk. In 1311, Princess Huyen Tran returned to the foot of Tiger Mountain to set up a temple where she worshiped Buddha until her death on April 9, 1340.
During that period of time, in Tien village, Tam Thanh commune, West of Tiger Mountain, Princess Thuy Bao, the aunt of Princess Huyen Tran, was building An Lac flower garden and setting up a monastery there. The two of them practiced together, served the Buddha Dharma, and looked after the lives of the people.
After their deaths, the people of Ho Son village set up a shrine at Non Son pagoda to pay their respects. Mourning for the beautiful woman of Dai Viet who offered her youth to bring peace and prosperity and expand the country's borders, after her death, the people of Ho Son village honoured her as the Holy Mother and built her temple at the place where she practiced.
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| Ho Son pagoda after being restored. (Photo: Cultural Heritage Research Institute) |
According to the history of the pagoda, the Provincial People's Committee of Nam Dinh recognized Ho Son pagoda as a provincial historical relic on September 27, 2006.
After centuries of war, Ho Son pagoda had been seriously degraded. On January 22, 2020, the Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee approved the decision to restore and embellish the pagoda as per the wish of the people, Buddhists and monks.
In early 2021, Ho Son pagoda officially started its reconstruction on the site of the old pagoda, and what was originally planned to be less than 1 hectare, has been expanded to a total of 13 hectares and with up to 30 construction projects. The reconstruction was sponsored by benefactors and investors.
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