Thien Mu pagoda sits on the Ha Khe hill, in the ward of Huong Long in
Hue. It is around 3 km from the Citadel of Huế constructed by the Nguyễn Dynasty and sits on the northern bank of the Perfume River. Thien Mu Pagoda also known as Linh Mu Pagoda.
Coming here, tourists in
Vietnam travel will hear its history and interesting legend. Legend local residents saw an old lady in red appear every night on top of the hill. She foretold that: one day, the Lord would pass by and build something of great importance. From then on, the hill was named Thien Mu Son (Mountain of Lady from Heaven).
The temple built in 1601 on the order of the first Nguyen lords, Nguyễn Hoàng, who at that time was the governor of Thuận Hóa (now known as Huế). He heard the legend and decided to build a pagoda and named it Thien Mu.
Having gone through a lot of eventful phase, damages as well as renovations, today the pagoda still exists and remains the unofficial symbol of the ancient city Hue.
During the 19th century, the pagoda was patronized by the emperors of the Nguyễn Dynasty, which was founded in 1802 by Emperor Gia Long after his unification of modern Vietnam. His successor Minh Mạng funded further expansion and renovation of the temple.
Emperor Thiệu Trị, who succeeded Minh Mang, erected the Từ Nhân Tower in 1844, which is now known as the Phước Duyên tower. The brick tower stands 21 m and is of octagonal shape and has seven stories, each of which is dedicated to a different Buddha. The tower has stood there since, overlooking the Perfume River, and has become synonymous with the landscape of Hue and the Perfume River. Its impact is such that it has become the unofficial symbol of the city.
The temple also contains a statue of a large marble turtle, a symbol of longevity. Beside the tower on either side are structures that record the architectural history of the tower, as well as various poems composed by Thiệu Trị.
The pagoda and its buildings were severely damaged in a cyclone in 1904. Emperor Thanh Thai authorized reconstructions in 1907 and it has continued to the current day, although it was still substantially less grand and expansive as its halcyon days of the Nguyễn Dynasty before the storm.
Today, a tourist facility is also present among the gardens and grounds of the temple, and a stupa has been erected in honor of Monk Thích Ðôn Hậu, the abbot the pagoda during its reconstruction phase in the 20th century. His holy body is entombed in the stupa, which is a garden of pine trees.
In the main hall, there is a statues of Gautama Buddha, flanked by Bodhisattva Văn Thù Sư Lợi and Bodhisattva Phổ Hiền.
During the summer of 1963, Thien Mu Pagoda, like many in South Vietnam, became a hotbed of anti-government protest. South Vietnam's Buddhist majority had long been discontented with the rule of President Ngo Dinh Diem since his rise to power in 1955. Diem had shown strong favoritism towards Catholics and discrimination against Buddhists in the army, public service and distribution of government aid. Discontent with Diem exploded into mass protest in Huế during the summer of 1963 when nine Buddhists died at the hand of Diem's army and police on Vesak, the birthday of Gautama Buddha. In May 1963, a law against the flying of religious flags was selectively invoked; the Buddhist flag was banned from display on Vesak while the Vatican flag was displayed to celebrate the anniversary of the consecration of Archbishop Ngo Dinh Thuc, Diem's brother.
The Buddhists defied the ban and a protest that began with a march starting from Tu Dam Pagoda to the government broadcasting station was ended when government forces opened fire. As a result, Buddhist protests were held across the country and steadily grew in size, asking for the signing of a Joint Communiqué to end religious inequality. Thien Mu Pagoda was a major organizing point for the Buddhist movement and was often the location of hunger strikes, barricades and protests.
The temple also houses the Austin motor vehicle in which Thich Quang Duc was driven to his self-immolation in Saigon in 1963 against the Diem regime. It was the first of a series of self-immolations by members of the Buddhist clergy, which brought the plight of Buddhists to the attention of the international community.
The car that took Thich Quang Duc to the site of his self-immolationin 1963
Coming to Thien Mu Pagoda, travelers in Vietnam travel can choose to do many different things, like urn incense and pray for blessings, sit on the wall to observe the special Huong River, or walk around the pagoda to explore the garden or listen to the monks reciting the Buddhist scriptures, or watch them as they sweep the yard or go about their daily routines, for those images bring you to a peaceful feeling never achievable in the hustle and bustle of the daily life.
