Khải Đoan Pagoda

Khải Đoan Pagoda (full name: Sắc tứ Khải Đoan Pagoda, in Han script: 敕賜啟端寺, transliteration: Sắc tứ Khải Đoan tự) is the largest pagoda in Buôn Ma Thuột ward, Đắk Lắk province, Vietnam. This is also the first pagoda ever built in the Central Highlands. The name Khải Đoan is a combination of the names of King Khải Định and his wife, Queen Dowager Đoan Huy.

Khải Đoan Pagoda began construction in 1951, with the Hậu Tổ Hall (Ancestral Hall) and the Lecture Hall, while the Main Hall (Chánh điện) only started construction in 1953. According to preserved documents, the greatest contribution to the building of the pagoda was made by Queen Dowager Đoan Huy (wife of King Khải Định), followed by the support of Buddhist laypeople. This was also the last pagoda in Vietnam to be granted the royal title (sắc tứ) under the feudal regime.

At that time, Most Venerable Thích Trí Thủ, Head of the Central Buddhist Association, received and appointed Most Venerable Thích Đức Thiệu to represent the Association in overseeing the construction. On the royal side, Lady Từ Cung appointed concubine Mộng Điệp to supervise the restoration work.

The initial construction funds were donated by Lady Từ Cung, along with the merit of devotees from all directions. In 1953, on the occasion of the inauguration ceremony of the Ancestral Hall, the pagoda was granted the title "SẮC TỨ KHẢI ĐOAN" – during the reign of King Bảo Đại. Khải Đoan are the first two characters of Khải Định and Queen Dowager Đoan Huy, signifying the recognition of the founders' merit in establishing this pagoda.

Over half a century, Khải Đoan Pagoda has had seven generations of abbots: the first abbot was Thích Đức Thiệu, followed by Thích Từ Mãn, Thích Thiện Nhơn, Thích Viên Đức, Thích Quãng Hương, Thích Quang Huy. The current seventh-generation abbot is Venerable Thích Châu Quang, the eldest son of Most Venerable Thích Đức Thiệu.

The entire pagoda complex consists of the main gate (Tam Quan Gate, a traditional three-entrance gate) facing southwest, the Main Hall (Chánh Điện), the Quan Âm Hall (Điện Quan Âm), the Ancestral Hall (Nhà Hậu Tổ), and the Merit Hall (Công Đức Tạng).

The Tam Quan Gate has two storeys with three arched entrances, 7 metres high and 10.5 metres wide. The architectural work truly bears the artistic style of the imperial city, being tall, wide, and deep. Below are three entrances, and above are three moon-viewing pavilions, resembling the gateways of royal palaces.

The Quan Âm Hall (also known as Quan Âm Pavilion) was built in 1972, funded by Buddhist devotees. This is a unique architectural work, an artistic product constructed by craftsmen from Huế. The hall is built separately from the Main Hall and is hexagonal in shape, with six pillars decorated with dragon and cloud motifs. The base of the hall is situated in the middle of a pond used to raise fish, turtles, and water lilies.

The Main Hall is the principal structure of the pagoda, with a floor area of 320 m² divided into two sections. The front half resembles a Central Highlands longhouse but the column and beam structure follows the style of a Huế rường house (traditional wooden house). The rear half is built in a modern style. The most notable features in the Main Hall are the central bronze statue of Shakyamuni Buddha and the bronze bell placed in the right chamber. The bronze statue of Shakyamuni Buddha is 1.1 metres tall, the wooden lotus pedestal is 0.35 metres high and intricately decorated, the bronze bell is 1.15 metres tall, with a base circumference of 2.7 metres and weighs 380 kg, cast in January 1954 (the twelfth lunar month of the Year of the Snake). Around 2012–2016, the pagoda underwent a major restoration; the Main Hall was rebuilt mainly with granite and precious ironwood but retained the architectural style combining the Huế imperial court and the Central Highlands longhouse.

The Merit Hall (Công Đức Tạng), renovated in 1993, commemorates the merits of predecessors through various periods, from the initial construction to the sixth generation of abbots at Khải Đoan Pagoda. This is also where the body of the late Most Venerable Thích Quang Huy, former member of the Executive Council of the Vietnam Buddhist Sangha and abbot of Sắc Tứ Khải Đoan Pagoda (1963–1993), is enshrined.