Huế Pagodas

Pagodas in Huế under the Nguyễn Lords began to appear more frequently from the time Nguyễn Hoàng came to govern the land of Thuận Hóa. Pagodas in Huế developed strongly during the period from Emperor Gia Long to Duy Tân. During this time, in addition to restoration, reconstruction, and repairs, many new pagodas were built, and to this day, Huế is a place with a high density of pagodas, with over one hundred large and small pagodas. There are Buddha statues, Bodhisattva statues, bells, bronze gongs, stone gongs, and many other Buddhist artefacts from the Lê, Trịnh, and Nguyễn periods still being worshipped and preserved at Huế pagodas; this is a treasure trove of Buddhist cultural heritage in Huế.

Referring to the pagodas of Huế in history, the book Ô châu cận lục by Dương Văn An, in the section "General Discussion on Customs," mentions many pagodas, but most are in Tiên Bình (present-day Quảng Bình). In Thuận Hóa (at that time comprising present-day Quảng Trị and Thừa Thiên – Huế), only Dã Độ Pagoda in Dã Độ village, Triệu Phong district; Thiên Mỗ Pagoda to the south of Giang Đạm commune, Kim Trà district; Sùng Hóa Pagoda in Triêm Ân village, Tư Vinh district, which was a national pagoda; and Tư Khách Pagoda at Tư Khách Gate (i.e., Tư Dung Gate, now Tư Hiền Gate) are mentioned. The author refers to all of these as "ancient pagodas" or "old pagodas." The major pagodas of this period already had an official in charge called Tự chính, but there is no mention of monks, monastic practices, or resident abbots as in later times.

In 1558, when Nguyễn Hoàng came to govern Thuận Hóa and the subsequent Nguyễn Lords sought to build a separate Đàng Trong region, distinct from the Lê dynasty and Trịnh Lords in the North, cultural and social activities were promoted, and many pagodas were built as places for spiritual activities. In the year Tân Sửu (1601), Nguyễn Hoàng ordered the restoration of Thiên Mụ Pagoda, and the following year (1602), the lord had Sùng Hóa Pagoda restored and held the Great Dharma Assembly at this pagoda.

When the Trịnh Lords advanced to occupy Phú Xuân, and especially during the Tây Sơn period, Buddhism in Thuận Hóa fell into decline and ruin. It was not until Gia Long ascended the throne that the pagodas in the Thuận Hóa region gradually began to be repaired and revived.

From the time of Emperor Gia Long (1802) to Duy Tân (1916), pagodas in the Huế region developed strongly. In addition to restoring, rebuilding, and repairing many old pagodas, the emperor also had new ones constructed, such as Giác Hoàng Pagoda (built in the 2nd year of Minh Mạng), which Emperor Thiệu Trị praised in his poem "Giác Hoàng Phạn ngữ" for the chanting of sutras there. On 14 June 1885, the pagoda was demolished, and today only the remains of the Tam Tòa (Three Halls) are left.

Some of the major pagodas in Huế built over time include: Thiên Mụ (1601), Báo Quốc (1674), Từ Đàm (1683), Thuyền Tôn (1709), Từ Hiếu (1843), Diệu Đế (1844), Phước Thọ Am (1831), Trúc Lâm (1909), and others.

Conversely, there are also many famous ancient pagodas that have been abandoned, fallen into ruin, and eventually lost all trace, such as Sùng Hóa Pagoda, Kim Quang Pagoda, Tây Thiền Pagoda, Huệ Minh Pagoda, Trấn Hải Pagoda, Bạch Vân Pagoda, Diên Thọ Pagoda, Linh Hựu Quán, and Ngọc Sơn Pagoda.

A common feature of pagodas in Huế is that they are not grandiose, costly to build, or require excessive labour from the people like the large pagodas in the North (such as Trăm Gian Pagoda, Dâu Pagoda, etc.), nor are they as large-scale as Quỳnh Lâm Pagoda (Đông Triều), Sài Nghiêm Pagoda (Chí Linh), or Hồ Thiên Pagoda (Kinh Bắc). The style of Huế pagodas basically continues the tradition of Vietnamese pagodas, but with a refined, unostentatious, modest character—neither grand nor showy, with little ornamentation and not many compartments. The pagoda is a simple, familiar rường house (traditional timber frame house), close to the people.

The main hall usually has 3 to 5 compartments and 2 wings, with a two-tiered roof, making it light and graceful. The two side wings are reserved for the abbot, head monk, and supervisor. Next to the main hall is an inner courtyard surrounded by the meditation hall and monks’ quarters. The pagoda garden is planted with fruit trees and contains stupas for the patriarchs, abbots, and monks; behind the garden is an area for cultivation and growing vegetables and flowers.

The interior of the pagoda is simple, balanced, and not gaudily decorated. In addition to the traditional set of Three Buddhas statues, on the left is a statue of Quan Công, and on the right is the Holy Mother Thiên Y A Na. During the Buddhist revival period from 1950–1963, the worship system was reformed: in front of the Three Buddhas, a statue of Shakyamuni Buddha was added; in the left compartment is Bodhisattva Địa Tạng, in the right compartment is Bodhisattva Quan Thế Âm, and on the left and right sides are Vajrapāṇi and Dharma Protectors.

The architectural layout of pagodas follows the shapes of the Chinese characters khẩu (囗, square), nhất (一, one), tam (三, three), and liễu (了); the front halls or sanctuaries are built in the trùng lương (double-eaved, overlapping roofs) style, which is characteristic of Huế pagodas. The pagoda roof is often decorated with motifs such as two dragons flanking the moon, two dragons flanking the Dharma wheel, sacred animals like turtles, phoenixes, qilin, various lotus patterns; the roof is covered with yin-yang tiles in colours influenced by the palace architecture of the royal dynasties. Lotus flowers, the swastika, swastika patterns, lotus leaves, Buddha's hand fruit, bodhi leaves, Dharma wheels, ocean waves, fire wheels, and the nectar vase are themes and motifs purely Buddhist in nature, giving Huế pagodas their unique character.