A day of nostalgia in Tay Ninh

Great, I have never been to this land but I have heard of Ba Den Mountain, Tay Ninh Holy See, Thien Lam Pagoda, Trang Bang sun-dried rice paper...

Located next to Highway 22B, in the middle of a vast garden, Thien Lam Pagoda (literally Thien Lam Tu or Go Ken Pagoda) has an area of ​​nearly 6,000 m2 in Long Trung Hamlet, Long Thanh Trung Ward, Hoa Thanh Town, Tay Ninh Province. According to the pagoda's documents, Thien Lam Pagoda was built around 1904. In 1926, Thien Lam Pagoda was borrowed by Cao Huynh Cu, Cao Hoai Sang and Pham Cong Tac as the birthplace of Cao Dai. These are considered three spiritual structures almost in a straight line in Tay Ninh, along with Tay Ninh Holy See and Ba Den Mountain.

Fresh flowers in full bloom on Ba Den peak.

Thien Lam Pagoda complex is a unique combination of two Eastern and Western cultures, with an architectural style that is both ancient and solemn, yet liberal and modern. In front of the pagoda yard is a statue of Sakyamuni meditating under a Bodhi tree. A short distance to the right in the middle of the lotus pond is a statue of Bodhisattva Avalokitesvara riding a dragon, over 30 m high, the largest in the Southeast region. The paths are airy among many species of exotic flowers and plants. The Thien Lam Pagoda campus also has a 25 m long statue of Buddha entering Nirvana, along with many architectural masterpieces such as: 9-storey Xa Loi Stupa, Maitreya Buddha shrine, three-door gate, Lumbini garden... extremely elaborate and beautiful.

We were very impressed with the 108 prayer wheel bells at Thien Lam Pagoda. According to the temple's explanation, prayer wheels, also known as prayer wheels, are one of the simple and effective spiritual practices. When turning the prayer wheel bells clockwise, we will receive peaceful and positive magnetic energy, helping our body and mind become peaceful...

Looking at the map as the crow flies, from Thien Lam Pagoda to Tay Ninh Holy See is nearly 5 kilometers, on Pham Ho Phap Street, Hoa Thanh Town. My friend introduced that Tay Ninh Holy See is one of the most unique and greatest architectural works of Cao Dai religion; converging many architectural styles from religious works around the world. This is also a work that clearly demonstrates the principle of "Three religions return to the origin" of Cao Dai religion.

The entrance gate has the words "Dai Dao Tam Ky Pho Do". In front of the Holy See are two bell towers soaring into the clouds. According to the guide at the Holy See, Dai Dao Tam Ky Pho Do (abbreviated as Cao Dai) is a religion founded in Vietnam in 1926, choosing Tay Ninh as its holy land. Cao Dai takes love as its foundation, humanity as its motto, and service to all living beings as its action.

The Tay Ninh Holy See has nearly 100 large and small architectural works built in 14 years; with wide and airy roads connecting the architectural points. The Holy See is considered the ancestral temple, the central worship facility of Cao Dai religion. The project started in 1933, completed in 1947 but was not inaugurated until 1955. The Holy See campus is nearly 100 hectares wide, shaded by ancient oil and rubber gardens. We were extremely delighted to see monkeys innocently coming out from the garden fence onto the sidewalk, playing friendly with visitors.

The 25-meter-long statue of Buddha entering Nirvana in the grounds of Thien Lam Pagoda.

Leaving the Holy See of Tay Ninh, our car headed straight to the scenic Ba Den mountain (in Thanh Tay commune, Tay Ninh city). This is the highest mountain in the South (986 m), considered the "Roof of the South", located in the complex of Ba Den Mountain National Historical, Cultural, Scenic and Tourist Sites. The closer we got to Ba Den, the more overwhelmed we were by the majestic mountain and forest scenery, in harmony with the mist are the cable car works, temples, pagodas, and stone statues built by humans. My friend who is also a tour guide said that the Ba Den mountain area has "thousands" of temples, pagodas, shrines, and towers imbued with the cultural characteristics of Buddhism and folk beliefs of the South, spread from the foot of the mountain, the mountainside, to the top. These are Linh Son Tien Thach Pagoda, Hang Pagoda, Ha Pagoda, Trung Pagoda, Van Son Pagoda... On the mountain, there are also many caves such as Thanh Long, Ba Co, Ba Tuan...

We visited Linh Son Tien Thach Pagoda, where Ba Den is worshiped. The pagoda was built in the 18th century and has undergone many renovations, the most recent of which was inaugurated in 1997. This is a pagoda with harmonious architecture bearing many typical features of Vietnamese temple architecture.

According to the Tay Ninh Tourism Promotion Information Center, one of the things that attracts tourists to this mountain is the legendary story of Ba Den - Ly Thi Thien Huong. She is the daughter of Mr. Ly Thien (a mandarin in charge of Trang Bang in the Nguyen Dynasty) and Ms. Dang Ngoc Phung (a native of Binh Dinh).

Legend has it that Ba Den was a beautiful, virtuous, talented girl, good at literature and martial arts, and the daughter of a well-educated family, so many people noticed her. One time, while going up the mountain, Ba Den was surrounded by a group of bad guys who wanted to humiliate her. To keep her loyalty to her lover who was in the battlefield, she jumped into a ravine and committed suicide. Because of Ba Den's sacredness, Duke Le Van Duyet, on behalf of the king, appointed her as "Linh Son Thanh Mau", carved a statue to worship at Mot Mountain, later renamed Ba Den Mountain, a famous landscape considered a symbol of Tay Ninh province.

One day of “riding a horse to see the flowers” ​​of three famous landscapes of Tay Ninh is enough to leave an unforgettable impression. This land has many famous relics and landscapes. I will make another appointment to go and stay longer…

Source: https://baodaklak.vn/du-lich/202504/mot-ngayluu-luyen-tay-ninh-72703b4/