Tay An Pagoda is one of the most beautiful Buddhist temples in An Giang province, the Mekong Delta, Vietnam. The pagoda is famous for its architecture and historical significance. It is truly a peaceful paradise for anyone who wants to relax after a long day of work. The pagoda is located in Vinh Tay Hamlet, Nui Sam Ward, Chau Doc City, An Giang Province. The natural scenery at Tay An pagoda is extremely beautiful and charming, making visitors excited and relaxed when coming here. Tay An Pagoda not only has a unique ancient architectural art value but is also a place to store many artifacts associated with the reclamation and establishment of hamlets by local people in the past.
Tay An Pagoda – Must Know About
There are different opinions explaining the name “Tay An”. Some people said that Tay An is a temple in the west (Tay) of An Giang Province. Some people said that “Tay An” is the wish for peace (An) in the West (Tay) of Vietnam.
The book about the pagoda said that the Tay An pagoda was built in 1820 by an official of the Minh Mang dynasty named Nguyen Nhat An. When he was sent to Cambodia by the court, he vowed that if the trip was successful, when he returned, he would build a temple to worship Buddha at the foot of Sam mountain. After building the temple, he invited the first monk with the dharma name Hai Tinh to be the abbot. In 1847, the temple invited another monk named Phap Tang to be the abbot. He set up large farms around the Bay Nui area. He also had the talent to make medicine to cure people’s diseases, so after his death, the people here worshiped the Venerable Master with the title “Buddha Teacher of Tay An (Phat Thay Tay An).
The Tay An pagoda is built on a high and spacious foundation in a 15,000 m2 campus. Tay An pagoda was built according to the ancient art architecture of Vietnam combined with the unique architecture of India.
Tay An Pagoda in An Giang
Things to Do at Tay An Pagoda
The entire temple is built of brick and cement, undergoing many transformations over time, the temple still retains its intact beauty. Behind the pagoda is Sam mountain with a dark green color, which is like a screen highlighting the temple. The most impressive highlight of the pagoda is 3 ancient buildings with onion-shaped round roofs, colorful but harmonious.
Like most temples, the first architectural work is the area of the three-way gate. Tam Quan is divided into three gates, the middle door of the Tam Quan is the place to worship the statue of Quan Am Thi Kinh carrying a child, on both sides are two signs with the name of the pagoda “Tay An Co Tự” (Tay An Ancient Pagoda).
The land surrounding the pagoda is very spacious and airy with many trees. Just entering the campus, visitors will see a very high flagpole – about 16m. Along with that is the image of 2 elephants, a white elephant with 6 tusks and a black elephant with 2 tusks. The white elephant is the harbinger of the birth of Prince Siddhartha (who is Buddha Shakyamuni), and the black elephant is the sitting elephant called Mr. Long, who had the merit of helping the court fight off foreign invaders.
Behind the temple grounds are many tomb towers with extremely unique architecture. The most notable is the tomb of Mr. Minh Huyen, who is the Buddha of Tay An. Every year, on the 12th day of the 8th lunar month, thousands of people, monks, nuns, and Buddhists inside and outside the region come here to celebrate in large numbers.
The main hall is very large and is located in the middle of the temple grounds, It has 2 curved roofs. Unlike the ancient temples in the North with fish scale tiles, the roof of Tay An pagoda is covered with large pipe tiles. All the columns are made of large wooden columns, the floor is paved with flower bricks. The two sides of the main hall are the gong floor and the quadrangular drum floor. The roof of the pagoda is decorated with four sacred animals: a dragon, unicorn, turtle, and phoenix. From above, you can see the whole area of Tay An pagoda relic like a phoenix spreading its wings.
The pagoda follows the Mahayana sect, there are 11,270 large and small statues placed everywhere in the temple. Most of these statues are made of famous wood, carved elaborately, and fine art, typical for Vietnamese sculpture art of the 19th century. Besides, the pagoda also hangs many colorful banners and couplets. From the main hall, you can visit the big bell in the bell tower area, this big bell was carved in the 32nd year of Tu Duc (1879). At night, the lights are lit up with yellow light making the temple become majestic and magnificent like a splendid castle at night.
Tay An Pagoda in An Giang
Tay An Pagoda in An Giang
Tay An Pagoda in An Giang
Additional information
Attractions and hidden gems around Tay An Pagoda include Tra Su Melaleuca Forest (24km), Sam Mountain (3Km), Cam Mountain – Cam Mountain (37km), Chau Doc Floating Market (11km), 30 Months Park 4 in Chau Doc (9km),…
