Hà Pagoda

Chùa Hà has the formal name Thánh Đức tự (in Chinese characters: 聖德寺), and together with Bối Hà Communal House (Đình Bối Hà), forms the Đình - Chùa Hà heritage complex located on a single plot of land, formerly part of Hà hamlet (opposite Cầu Giấy street) - Trung hamlet - Dịch Vọng commune, Từ Liêm district, now at 86 Chùa Hà street, Cầu Giấy ward, Hanoi city. Chùa Hà, along with Duyên Ninh Pagoda, are the two temples in the North renowned for prayers for love and marriage.

There are two legends regarding the origins of Chùa Hà. The first legend: during the Lý dynasty, the Dịch Vọng area already had many famous scenic spots. King Lý Thánh Tông (reigned 1054 - 1072), at the age of 42, still had no children, so he prayed for a child at a pagoda and subsequently fathered Crown Prince Lý Càn Đức (later Lý Nhân Tông). Therefore, this pagoda was called Thánh Chúa Pagoda to commemorate this event. On his way, the king also visited another pagoda and granted it money for restoration; thus, this pagoda was also named Thánh Đức tự. King Lý Thánh Tông died suddenly at the age of 50, and Crown Prince Càn Đức ascended the throne at the age of 7, becoming Lý Nhân Tông.

The second legend: Chùa Hà was built so that King Lê Thánh Tông (reigned 1460-1497) could express his gratitude to the great ministers Nguyễn Trãi, Nguyễn Xí, and Đinh Liệt, who had supported him and deposed Lê Nghi Dân to enthrone him in 1460.

After many wars and calamities, Thánh Đức Pagoda was destroyed several times. By 1680, the pagoda still had a thatched roof and walls made of large bricks, so locals called it Chùa Vồi (Thatched Pagoda). During the reign of King Lê Hy Tông (1675-1705), two people from Thổ Hà village, Bắc Giang province, came to live at the pagoda to sell ceramics at markets inside and outside Thăng Long citadel. Thanks to their prosperous business, these two families voluntarily donated a large sum of money, together with the local villagers, to rebuild the pagoda on a grand scale with brick and tile in the Chính Hòa era (1680). From then on, the two villages of Thổ Hà and Dịch Vọng Trung became sister villages, naming the hamlet with the pagoda Bối Hà, and the pagoda was colloquially called Chùa Hà. On memorial days each month and year in Thổ Hà, the people of Bối Hà hamlet would send a delegation to pay respects, and vice versa. The current appearance of the pagoda is the result of that major restoration and subsequent renovations.

From 1995 to 2003, Dịch Vọng ward and the pagoda’s heritage management board carried out upgrades and reconstruction of Chùa Hà and Bối Hà Communal House, making them spacious and imposing, while preserving the original Tam quan (three-entrance gate).

The architectural structures of the pagoda are arranged within a spacious and airy area. The outermost is the two-storey Tam quan gate, with a staircase on the left side. The upper storey is built in the chồng diêm (overlapping roofs) style; on the ridge of the upper roof is a relief of a flaming sun set atop a hổ phù (mythical tiger face), with dragon tails coiled at both ends, mouths gripping the roof ridge, and the roof is covered with imitation tubular tiles. The lower storey is divided into three bays, with 12 pillars protruding from the wall. The Tam quan has three arched doorways, with the central door being wider (Photo 1).

On the second floor of the Tam quan hangs the Thánh Đức tự bronze bell, cast in the 7th year of the Cảnh Thịnh era (1799), a relic from the Tây Sơn period that remains intact. The bell is 1.2 metres high, with a base circumference of 1.8 metres, finely cast; the upper part of the bell is inscribed with the bell’s text on four panels, and the lower part is engraved with the four sacred animals: dragon, kylin, tortoise, and phoenix, stylised yet lively. Above are two bồ lao (mythical creatures) facing opposite directions, their four legs firmly attached to the bell (Photo 2).

Behind the Tam quan gate is a green garden, a semicircular pond, a banyan tree, and the pagoda courtyard (Photo 3). Next to the pond is a newly restored four-sided Thánh Đức tự stele. Three sides of the stele are inscribed in Han script, following the content preserved at the Han-Nom Research Institute Library, and one side is inscribed in quốc ngữ (Vietnamese romanised script). The pagoda stele was created in the 16th year of the Chính Hòa era (1695), with the inscription composed by District Chief Nguyễn Đình Trạch (Photo 4). On the right, in front of the pagoda entrance, are 18 hậu steles made at the end of the Nguyễn dynasty, recording restoration works and hậu (perpetual offerings) at the pagoda (Photo 5).

Chùa Hà faces west; the main pagoda is constructed in the shape of the letter Đinh (丁), with a Tiền đường (front hall) and Thượng điện (main sanctuary), and a spacious five-bay Tam bảo (Buddha hall). The Buddha hall is arranged in several tiers. The highest tier features three statues of the Three Times Buddhas (Tam thế), representing the Buddha in the present, past, and future. The second tier: a large statue of Amitābha (A Di Đà), Avalokiteśvara Bodhisattva (Quan Thế Âm Bồ Tát), and Mahāsthāmaprāpta Bodhisattva (Đại Thế Chí Bồ Tát). Below the Amitābha statue are statues of Ānanda (A Nan Đà) and the Guardian Lord (Đức Ông). The Guardian Lord of Chùa Hà is considered highly sacred, leading to the local saying: 'Đức Ông chùa Hà, Đức Bà chùa Hương' (The Guardian Lord of Chùa Hà, the Lady of Hương Pagoda). Outside the main sanctuary, adjacent to the great hall, is a statue of the infant Śākyamuni (Thích Ca sơ sinh) (Photo 6). The most prominent statue in the worship hall is the imposing Heavenly General Dharma Protector (Thiên Tướng Hộ pháp) in golden armour, seated on a crocodile. On both sides of the gable are eight Dharma Protector Kings (Thần Vương Hộ pháp).

Behind the main sanctuary is the Mother Goddess Hall (Điện Mẫu). Its architecture includes a front pavilion (phương đình) and a rear sanctuary (Thần điện). In the front pavilion are a large incense burner and a pair of large cranes (Photo 7). Behind the pavilion is a five-bay worship hall built in the traditional style. In the central bay is the statue of the Mother of the Upper Heavens (Mẫu Thượng Thiên) dressed in red; to the left is the Mother of the Highlands (Mẫu Thượng Ngàn) in green, to the right is the Mother of the Waters (Mẫu Thủy) in white. There are also statues of various princes, princesses, and other spirits (Photo 8). Especially notable is the lively relief of the Eight Immortals (Bát Tiên) hanging on the left gable. The lowest altar in the Mother Goddess Hall is dedicated to the Five Tiger Deities (Ngũ Hổ thần quan), also known as Quan Năm Dinh, symbolised by five tigers of different colours.

A few years ago, Chùa Hà still preserved many ancient ceramic artefacts such as incense burners, jars, water containers, reflecting the reverence and beliefs of the Thổ Hà people of old Kinh Bắc. As of 2009, these artefacts have all been removed; the old ceramic incense burners have been replaced with bronze ones engraved with donors’ names, and the ceramic water jars have been replaced with modern taps. The pagoda is not only a place for prayers for love but also a tourist destination for those who have not yet set foot in Hanoi, especially those visiting the pagoda.

Bối Hà Communal House (Đình Bối Hà) worships the village tutelary deity Triệu Chí Thành. Triệu Chí Thành was the son of Triệu Xương and Lý Thị Thích, from Chu Diên, Thái Bình (now Mê Linh district, Hanoi). On the 11th day of the first lunar month, his mother gave birth to a handsome boy with extraordinary features. At that time, Triệu Việt Vương had established his capital in Từ Liêm, then retreated to Dạ Trạch marsh to resist the army of Trần Bá Tiên. Triệu Việt Vương was given a dragon claw by the immortal Chử Đồng Tử to make a magical crossbow to repel the Liang invaders. Triệu Chí Thành was entrusted with making the crossbow, which never missed its mark, killing hundreds of enemies with each shot; General Dương Sằn was killed by it. The Liang army was utterly defeated and fled north in 550.

After pacifying the Liang, Triệu Chí Thành fell seriously ill. Triệu Việt Vương visited and asked: 'What do you wish for? I will grant it.' Triệu Chí Thành replied: 'I have no personal wishes, only that Your Majesty bring the command flag you bestowed upon me to Thạch Bàn, Long Đầu, and throw it into the sky. Wherever the flag lands, may the people there be allowed to build a temple in my honour and be exempt from all taxes and corvée.' Triệu Việt Vương gladly agreed; on the 12th day of the eighth lunar month that year, he ordered the command flag to be brought to Thạch Bàn, Long Đầu and thrown into the sky, and Triệu Chí Thành also passed away. The flag landed at Dịch Vọng Trung hamlet and stopped there; the envoy reported this to the king. The king allowed the local people to build a temple to Triệu Chí Thành, bestowing upon him the title of Great King. The temple to Triệu Chí Thành is now Thọ Tháp Communal House and Bối Hà Communal House in Dịch Vọng Trung hamlet. Thus, Bối Hà Communal House was built in 550, during the reign of Triệu Việt Vương.

Due to serious deterioration, Bối Hà Communal House was rebuilt in a grand and dignified manner, both architecturally and in its interior decoration, by the people of Bối Hà village and devotees from near and far.

Bối Hà Communal House is built in the shape of the letter Đinh (丁), facing west, in accordance with the yin-yang principle: the front is spacious and open, the rear is sacred and secluded; the front is lively, the rear is solemn. Outside is a celestial pillar (thiên trụ), topped with a phoenix facing the four directions and a hổ phù (mythical tiger face), highlighted by the couplet: 'The temple shines gloriously, a land of outstanding people for eternity; The awe-inspiring spirit, a source of strength for countless generations' (Photo 9).

Next to the celestial pillar is a small nghi môn (ceremonial gate), inscribed with 'Bối Hà miếu' (possibly the original name of Bối Hà Communal House). Passing through the nghi môn into the communal house courtyard, there is a second celestial pillar separating the large and small courtyards, its top adorned with a pair of lions (nghê). On the celestial pillar is a couplet: 'The celestial pillar stands firm, facing Tản Viên, a splendid landscape; The temple soars high, Tô Lịch flows forever, a famous site' (Photo 10). From the large courtyard to the small one, looking up is the communal house roof, decorated with a pair of dragons flanking the sun, the ridge ends locked by two dragon heads.

Passing through rows of smooth wooden panelled doors leads to the great hall, where sturdy ironwood pillars are hung with brocade couplets in black script. Especially prominent in the central bay is the horizontal board inscribed 'Thánh cung vạn tuế' (Long live the Holy Palace), below which is a couplet recounting the legend of Triệu Chí Thành: 'Behold the marvellous land and mountains, Long Đỗ’s sacredness builds the temple; Defeating the Liang, achieving great merit, the flag raised to establish the shrine' (Photo 11).

As for ritual objects, besides the eight treasures, bronze incense burners, dragon thrones, and ancestral tablets, Bối Hà Communal House also has a pair of cranes standing firmly on the backs of turtles.

Hà Pagoda was classified as a historical and cultural relic by the state in 1996. Currently, the đình (communal house) and Hà Pagoda regularly organise the following festivals:

On the 11th day of the 1st lunar month, the birth anniversary of the tutelary deity Triệu Chí Thành is commemorated.

On the 12th day of the 8th lunar month, the death anniversary of the tutelary deity is commemorated.

On the 12th day of the 2nd lunar month is the day of the festival for praying for blessings, favourable weather, and good health for many people. During the festival, there are often performances such as human chess, swinging, tug of war, đình singing, lion dancing, and more.

The Hà đình - pagoda complex attracts an increasing number of visitors from near and far. Especially on the days of the new and full moon (the 1st and 15th days of the lunar month) each month, the Hà đình and pagoda are packed with people coming to burn incense, worship the Buddha, and pray to the Saints, with incense smoke filling the inside and outside of the pagoda (Photo 3, Photo 12). They pray for the Buddha and Saints to remove all calamities and bring them much happiness and prosperity. In particular, young men and women from Hà Nội often come to Hà Pagoda to pray for love: couples in love come to pray to become husband and wife, while those without a partner come to pray to quickly find one.