Đậu Pagoda

Đậu Pagoda (temple name: Thành Đạo tự 成道寺) is a pagoda located in Gia Phúc village, Nguyễn Trãi commune, Thường Tín district, Hà Nội. As the pagoda worships Lady Đậu, also known as the Great Bodhisattva Pháp Vũ, it is called Đậu Pagoda and also bears the name Pháp Vũ tự.

According to legend, the pagoda was built during the second period of Northern Domination (602–939), but according to the stele inscriptions, the pagoda was constructed during the Lý dynasty.

The pagoda has been restored many times. According to a restoration stele erected in the fifth year of Dương Hòa, this pagoda was renovated during the Lý dynasty, in the 11th century. In addition, the pagoda still preserves a pair of stone dragons from the Trần dynasty, along with many large bricks from the Mạc dynasty and several steles bearing the Sùng Khang era (1566–1577).

According to the same stele, there was a major restoration in 1635, during the reign of King Lê Thần Tông.

The pagoda is built in the "nội công ngoại quốc" style (an architectural layout with inner and outer courtyards). The tam quan (triple gate) of the pagoda is a beautiful bell tower, two storeys with eight curved roofs and soaring finials. Many wooden components are carved with images of dragons, phoenixes, and flowers.

On the upper floor hangs a bell cast in the 9th year of Cảnh Thịnh (1801) during the Tây Sơn dynasty.

Beyond the tam quan is a spacious brick courtyard, with two giải vũ (side halls for guests to rest) on either side for pilgrims.

The tiền đường (front hall) in front, connected to two side corridors and the ancestral house at the rear, forms a square frame enclosing the incense burning hall and the sanctuary of Lady Đậu or the goddess Pháp Vũ.

At Đậu Pagoda, there are quite a few stone steles from the 16th to the 18th centuries.

Inside the pagoda is a bronze khánh (gong) cast in 1774 with an inscription composed by Phan Trọng Phiên. There are also two wooden plaques, lacquered and gilded, inscribed with vernacular poems by Lord Trịnh Căn (1682–1709) and Lord Trịnh Cương (1709–1729).

Especially notable in the pagoda are two statues of the monks Vũ Khắc Minh and Vũ Khắc Trường, who practised at the pagoda around the 17th century. These statues were created by coating the actual bodies of the monks with layers of lacquer and oil. At the beginning of 1983, the Vietnam Museum of History was tasked with designing and carrying out the restoration of these two statues. When X-rays were taken, researchers could clearly see the bones inside the bodies and concluded that: there were no signs of chiselling, no evidence of removal of internal organs or brain, and the joints were firmly attached as if naturally. These are two Zen masters who attained enlightenment at the pagoda, leaving behind their entire bodies as relics. The relics do not burn when set on fire and do not dissolve when soaked in water.

The statue of Zen master Vũ Khắc Minh was restored using traditional techniques such as wrapping, layering, lining, patching, polishing, and gilding with materials like lacquer, muslin, dó paper, sawdust, and earth. The total number of lacquer and gold leaf layers is 14. Before restoration, the statue weighed 7 kg; after restoration, it weighed 7.5 kg.

The statue of Vũ Khắc Trường was severely damaged around 1983 because the shrine housing the statue was flooded after a major flood. At that time, Mr. Vũ Văn Tuyền, a descendant of Zen master Vũ Khắc Trường, repaired the statue with earth and lacquer. Researchers rearranged the broken bones, fumigated them twice, covered the bones with a PVC solution, reinserted the bones into the statue, and sealed the entire statue with lacquer, dó paper, muslin, sawdust, earth, and silver leaf, with the thickest part having up to 22 layers. After restoration, the entire statue weighed 31 kg.