Three national treasures of Bac Ninh

Statue of Buddha Quan Am at But Thap Pagoda

But Thap Pagoda (Dinh To Commune, Thuan Thanh District) is a special national monument, built in the 14th century. The pagoda owns 4 national treasures, one of which is the statue of the Bodhisattva Avalokitesvara with a thousand hands and eyes.

The statue was made in 1656, made of wood covered with gilded lacquer, 3.7m high, 2.1m wide, 1.15m thick; divided into 4 parts: Statue, lotus platform, pedestal and auxiliary armrest.

The statue is 2.35m high, with 11 faces depicting the benevolent beauty of a woman. The body of the statue has 42 large arms and 19 pairs of smaller arms radiating from the back, sides, and shoulders. The secondary arm ring behind consists of 958 small arms forming a halo. The lotus platform consists of 5 alternating layers of petals. The pedestal is engraved with Chinese characters dating from Binh Than (1656).

In 2012, the statue of the Thousand-armed and Thousand-eyed Bodhisattva Avalokitesvara at But Thap Pagoda was recognized as a National Treasure.

Amitabha Buddha Statue at Phat Tich Pagoda

At Phat Tich Pagoda (Phat Tich Commune, Tien Du District), there is a statue of Amitabha Buddha made of a single block of green stone, dating from the Ly Dynasty (11th century); 1.85m high, 0.87m wide at the shoulders, 1.33m wide at the thighs. The body of the statue is carved in the shape of Buddha sitting in a meditation mudra. The face exudes a contemplative expression but is of stunning beauty.

The pedestal consists of a lotus throne and an octagonal pedestal. The lotus throne is 0.37m high, with two levels of petals, and the inside is embossed with a coiled dragon. The lotus throne is placed on an octagonal stone pedestal 0.71m high, with 5 levels embossed with lotus and chrysanthemum motifs... In particular, the pedestal has 42 pairs of dragons meticulously carved and reaching the peak of the Ly Dynasty's artistic style. In 2012, the Amitabha Buddha statue at Phat Tich Pagoda was recognized as a National Treasure.

Set of Four Dharma Buddha statues in Dau - Luy Lau region

Dau - Luy Lau area (now in Thuan Thanh district) is where Buddhism was first introduced from India. There are still Tu Phap pagodas associated with the ancient beliefs of the Vietnamese people, including: Dau Pagoda, Tuong Pagoda, Dan Pagoda (in Thanh Khuong and Tri Qua communes). Each pagoda preserves Tu Phap statues dating back to the Le Dynasty (around the 16th century).

The Four Dharma statues are round statues, quite similar in shape: Indian-style compassionate faces but body shapes evoke the beauty of Vietnamese women. This is not only a unique set of statues in terms of plastic art but also carries typical indigenous cultural features, creating Buddhist artworks with strong identity of Kinh Bac region. In 2017, the Four Dharma Buddha statues were recognized as National Treasures.

Source: https://hanoimoi.vn/ba-bao-vat-quoc-gia-cua-bac-ninh-697374.html