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Bai Dinh Pagoda is one of the most well-known spiritual destinations in Ninh Binh whether you are religious or not. Buddhists often visit Bai Dinh Pagoda as part of their ritual, while atheists just drop by with a view to admiring a construction considered “The pagoda holds the most records of entire Asia."
In Vietnamese culture, “pagoda” is different from “temple”, as pagodas are used only to worship Buddha while temples are places to worship kings, queens, scholars, or national heroes.
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About Bai Dinh Pagoda
The ancient Bai Dinh Pagoda area was built in 1136, and the new one was built in 2003. Together, they created a Bai Dinh Pagoda complex of 1700 hectares (17km2), including areas such as a Buddhist academy, parking lots, lakes, etc. According to folklore, this land is the land of Vietnamese kings, saints, and gods. Bai Dinh Pagoda has achieved 09 records, which are:
The largest pagoda in Vietnam
The largest bronze Maitreya Buddha statue in Southeast Asia
Asia's largest gold-plated bronze Buddha statue
The largest bronze bell in Vietnam
The largest jade well in Vietnam
The longest Arhat corridor in Asia
The most Arhat Statues in Vietnam
The largest number of Bodhi trees in Vietnam
The tallest Stupa in Asia
Bai Dinh Pagoda does not require any entrance fee; however, as it is a long way from the gate to Bai Dinh center, so you will need to pay 60,000 VND/pax/trip on an electronic car.
Bai Dinh Pagoda's opening hours are from 6:00 AM to 10:00 PM every day, so you can spend time here without worrying about time limitations. In addition, like in other temples and pagodas in Vietnam, visitors should dress politely; covering your knees and shoulders is preferred.
Bai Dinh Astounding Architecture
The Ancient Bai Dinh Pagoda is located about 800 meters south of the new one, near the top of a quiet mountainous area. It includes a frontcourt in the middle, the Bright Cave of Buddha on the right, then the Cao Son god (or the god of the high mountain) temple. Turning to the left is the temple of Saint Nguyen, and then there is the dark cave of The Mother Goddess and Vietnamese fairies.
The architecture of the new Bai Dinh Pagoda stands out with Vietnamese cultural features such as using local materials (Ninh Binh green stone, Tu Thiet wood), and dark brown Bat Trang glazed tiles. It also needed 500 artisans, including many groups of workers from famous craft villages in Vietnam, to complete.
The distinctive feature of Bai Dinh pagoda is shown in the curved dark brown dome shaped like a phoenix tail, which separates from that of Chinese pagodas.
Best Places to See in Bai Dinh Pagoda
1. Bai Dinh Pagoda's Bronze Statue of Buddha
This gold-plated bronze Buddha statue weighs 100 tons and is located in the Dharma Master’s Palace.
2. Bai Dinh Pagoda Bronze Maitreya Buddha Statue
With a height of 10 meters and a weight of 80 tons, the Bronze Maitreya Buddha statue is situated on a hill to the right of the Buddha of the Three Times (past-present-future) temple and a famous photography location in Ninh Binh.
3. Bai Dinh Pagoda Gautama Buddha Statue
The statue of Gautama Buddha sitting on a lotus in the main hall of the Dharma Master's palace has been recognized by the Asian Records Center as the largest gold-plated bronze Buddha statue in Asia. It is 10m high, weighs 100 tons of pure gold-plated copper, and is placed on a 1.5m high pedestal.
4. Bai Dinh Pagoda Bronze Bell
The Bronze Bell of Bai Dinh Pagoda is cast and tuned from domestically produced red copper; the body of the bell is engraved with Chinese characters.
5. The Jade Well of Bai Dinh Pagoda
The largest Jade Well in Vietnam is located at the foot of the ancient Bai Dinh Pagoda area, 1000 years old, moon-shaped, 30m in diameter, 6m deep, and never dries.
6. Bai Dinh Pagoda Corridor of Arhat
The Arhat corridor of Bai Dinh Pagoda is nearly 3km long, built entirely of wood, displaying stone statues of Arhats (people who have reached Nirvana). Each corridor has 22 steps, each step is 1.35m high. Bai Dinh Pagoda has a total of 500 monolithic Arhat statues ranging from 1.5m to 2m high.
7. The Stupa of Bai Dinh Pagoda
Bai Dinh Pagoda Stupa has 13 floors and is 100m high. This is the tallest Stupa in Asia and is the place to worship the relics (ashes) of Gautama Buddha brought from India to Bai Dinh Pagoda in 2008.
Bai Dinh Pagoda Festival
If you want to witness the bustling atmosphere of the biggest festival of the land, you should visit Bai Dinh Pagoda around late January - early February. The festival is held to commemorate the merits of heroes who have contributed to the country.
Bai Dinh Pagoda Accommodation
Bai Dinh Pagoda provides accommodation services for those wanting to rest and stay overnight during their visit. You can stay in the guest house area, or you can choose to stay in some hotels or homestays nearby.
Read more: Where to stay in Bai Dinh - Ninh Binh
We hope this article is helpful for you. If you have any questions related to this article or want to book a Ninh Binh tour, feel free to leave a comment below or contact us via email: sm@izitour.com.
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