Huge treasure trove of precious relics
Recently, at the scientific conference on the national relic cluster of Tram Pagoda and Tram Gian Pagoda, scientists and managers all agreed that not fully exploiting the value of this relic cluster is a waste of a precious resource. Since ancient times, our ancestors have praised and ranked Tram Pagoda and Tram Gian Pagoda among the "four great scenic spots" of the Doai region, including: Thay Pagoda, Tay Phuong Pagoda, Tram Gian Pagoda, Tram Pagoda. The pagodas in the relic cluster were all built early and blend into the natural landscape, creating a special attraction and value in terms of landscape and architecture. Up to now, the system of Buddha statues and relics preserved in the relic cluster is quite rich. Although these relics are of different ages and structures, they all have their own value.
Tram Pagoda is located in Phung Chau commune, Chuong My, Hanoi.
Through research, Dr. Pham Quoc Quan (former Director of the National Museum of History) said: the number of rare and precious relics and antiques of the Tram Pagoda and Tram Gian Pagoda relic complex is "huge". These are Buddha statues, statues of gods, statues of saints, statues of mothers, statues of famous people made of wood and clay mixed with Do paper, painted with red lacquer and gilded, dating from the 17th-19th centuries. At Tram Mountain Cave Pagoda, there are still 40 stone statues, large in size, impressive in stone sculpture landscape. At Tram Gian Pagoda, there are up to 896 woodblocks, divided into 26 sets of scriptures. Some woodblocks depict Buddha Shakyamuni sitting on a lotus platform preaching with clear and sophisticated patterns and images.
Among the relics, the most notable is the terracotta pedestal of the Hundred-room Pagoda, where the Buddha statues are densely decorated with patterns. According to Dr. Pham Quoc Quan, in 1973, due to the temple foundation cracking, the cultural management agency had it dismantled for repair, revealing many valuable terracotta objects inside the pedestal, which were beautifully patterned bricks, decorated with dragons, deer, tigers, leopards, elephants, galloping horses, etc., extremely liberal and lively. Mr. Quan assessed that this was an “unprecedented” phenomenon among the rare and precious Mac Dynasty terracotta pedestals, which could not be counted on one hand.
“Talking about the relics and antiquities at Tram Gian Pagoda and Tram Pagoda will surely be endless. The relic complex of Tram Gian Pagoda and Tram Gian Pagoda, if invested in carefully and systematically, promises to build up a set of files on memories and documents of the world or Asia - Pacific”, Dr. Pham Quoc Quan commented.
Associate Professor, Dr. Chu Van Tuan (Institute of Religious Studies) also said that Tram Gian Pagoda is a Buddhist relic with a long history, containing many tangible and intangible cultural heritage values. However, up to now, the documentary values of the pagoda have not been fully researched; there are still many inscriptions, epigraphs... that have not been systematized and translated to provide more related documents. Many relics such as Tuyet Son statues, wood carvings of the Ten Courts of Hell, pairs of stone dragons... are valuable artifacts, with artistic and historical value, preserved relatively intact, can be researched and evaluated to consider recognition as national treasures.
Bell tower of Hundred-room Pagoda.
Enhancing relics - the "challenge" of scientists
At the workshop, the managers “revealed” a program to restore, embellish, plan and promote the value of the Tram Pagoda relic complex worth more than 200 billion VND. Although highly unanimous in investing heavily in the relic site, scientists also proposed that it is necessary to “elevate” this relic complex to become a special national relic.
Associate Professor, Dr. Dang Van Bai, Vice Chairman of the National Cultural Heritage Council, said that due to their outstanding value in both landscape and architectural art, Tram Gian Pagoda and Tram Pagoda are two of 62 relics ranked as national historical and cultural relics since the first batch in 1962. According to Mr. Bai, compared with the provisions of the current Law on Cultural Heritage, the relic complex of Tram Gian Pagoda - Tram Pagoda "fully meets the criteria of a special national relic".
Sharing this view, Professor Le Van Lan also said that Tram Gian Pagoda and Tram Pagoda were ranked as historical and cultural relics very early. However, scientists and people still have a "restless, anxious feeling" about the status of these two relics. Will Tram Gian Pagoda and Tram Pagoda be recognized as special national relics like many other relics? What are the specific roadmaps and tasks to build a special national relic dossier for Tram Gian Pagoda and Tram Pagoda?
President Ho Chi Minh and comrades Nguyen Luong Bang and Vu Ky read the words on Tram mountain cliff during a visit to Tram pagoda, May 19, 1957. Photo: Dinh Dang Dinh
According to Professor Le Van Lan, regarding the ranking of Tram Pagoda and Tram Gian Pagoda, there are currently two options: one is to prepare a dossier to rank the two special national relics “immediately” to create and have the premises to renovate and upgrade the two relic sites “to their level and beyond”. The second option is not to rank the two special national relics at this time, but to wait until the work of overcoming weaknesses, renovating and renovating is completed, to “clearly show the worthiness of the high-class and noble title”.
Professor Le Van Lan said that, of the two options above, he does not favor either option, but proposes the third option. That is, in parallel with the implementation of the two investment projects for Tram Pagoda and Tram Gian Pagoda, it is necessary to urgently prepare the dossier for ranking as a special national monument, so that it can be approved right when the two projects are completed in 2026.
“This is the content of the work of the two projects of 116 billion VND for Tram Pagoda and 92 billion VND for Tram Gian Pagoda, both of which will start construction in September 2024 and be completed in 2026 as stated in the report prepared in June 2024,” emphasized Professor Le Van Lan.
However, according to Deputy Director of the Department of Cultural Heritage Tran Dinh Thanh, the construction of the dossier for ranking national special relics requires re-determining the value of the relics. Because the dossier of the relics in 1962 was very simple, it did not comply with the Law on Cultural Heritage as well as the Ordinance on the protection of relics in 1984.
“When reading the dossier, we see that we must first clarify and redefine the value of the two relics. We must compile statistics on the related material factors to prove the accuracy of the ranking,” Mr. Thanh said.
Mr. Thanh added that the zoning of the relic protection according to the 1962 records is also very vague, so to properly manage the relic, a map of the current protection zoning is needed.
Buddha statue system in Tram mountain cave.
Mr. Thanh's concern is not unreasonable because there was a time when Tram Pagoda was severely damaged. Former Deputy Head of the Hanoi Monuments and Landscapes Management Board Dang Bang said that in the 1970s, due to lax management by local authorities, Tram Pagoda was destroyed by people to make lime, looking back now still feels heartbreaking... Professor Le Van Lan also shared that although they are national monuments, these monuments have been "mercilessly destroyed", the Buddha statues, god statues, saint statues, mother statues... in the two pagodas have been damaged by new layers of paint, losing the spirit, soul and original value of the treasures, this is an issue that needs attention.
However, Hanoi City still strongly affirms its determination to revive the values of the relics, in order to exploit and develop cultural tourism products, to turn this place into an attractive tourist destination. Director of the Hanoi Department of Culture and Sports Do Dinh Hong said that this year, the capital's cultural sector, together with Chuong My district, will implement the next steps, with the goal of preserving and promoting the values of these two key national relics.
T.Toan
Source: https://www.congluan.vn/ha-noi-se-nang-cap-chua-tram-chua-tram-gian-thanh-di-tich-quoc-gia-dac-biet-post311954.html
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