Keo Pagoda, also known as “Than Quang Tu”, is located on the bank of Thai Binh River in Keo village, now Duy Nhat commune, Vu Thu district, Thai Binh province. This place preserves the national treasure Keo Pagoda’s altar and two sets of wooden doors carved with dragon images, which have historical, cultural and artistic values and are unique in form.
At Keo Pagoda, two sets of wooden doors carved with dragon images (17th century), located at the main gate of Keo Pagoda in Thai Binh province, were recognized as national treasures in 2017.
Currently, at the special national relic Keo Pagoda, these two sets of wooden doors have been restored by artisans to look exactly like the original. The original set of doors is being preserved and solemnly displayed in the central hall of the Vietnam Fine Arts Museum.
The door is made of two rectangular panels, each panel is made of four small pieces of wood. Each panel is carved with a large dragon, a small dragon and a lion. The two large dragons are facing up towards the middle.
The dragon image here is expressed through the symmetrical layout of “Two dragons facing the sun” when the two doors are joined together. The curved shape of the pair of dragons combines to form the shape of a Bodhi leaf, along with the skillful carving technique, creating many layers of space with depth.
The second national treasure at the nearly 400-year-old Keo Pagoda is the incense table (also known as incense table, altar) which is a worshiping utensil, used to hold incense and display worshiping objects, an artifact from the Le Trung Hung period, 17th century, recognized as a national treasure in 2021.
At the Keo Pagoda National Monument, the altar is solemnly placed in the bamboo tube (pau quoc) adjacent to the Rear Palace of the worship area of Saint Duong Khong Lo.
Rectangular altar table with kneeling legs and fish belly, consisting of 3 main parts: face, body and legs. This is a unique, handmade product with over 1,000 skillfully carved motifs and tight layout.
In which, the dragon image has 68 designs arranged according to the themes of "long an van", "luong long chau nhat", "long dem",... along with about 550 lotus flowers, 435 chrysanthemum flowers, 24 vines, leaves, bamboo, sacred animals, fire clouds, precious gems...
The altar body was painstakingly crafted by ancient artisans with perfect skill and sophistication. This is the central part of the national treasure, with many intricate, meticulous but harmonious and symmetrical carvings, showing off the sculpting talent of ancient artisans.
In particular, due to the large and heavy size of the altar, the base is also equipped with a horizontal bar, a vertical shaft with a mortise lock and 4 stone wheels, so that it can be pushed and moved when needed. This innovation both protects the altar from negative impacts caused by the carrying process and prevents moisture from seeping up from the ground.
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