Co To is an island district of Quang Ninh province, holding a very important frontline position in front of the Northeastern sea of the country, having a strategic position in terms of national security.
With more than 70% of the population following Buddhism, for a long time, the desire to build a Buddhist temple on the island as a place of religious activities and beliefs for Buddhists has been a great desire of many people. People and Buddhists in Co To island district and that aspiration are also in line with the policy of freedom of religion and belief of our Party and State. On the other hand, investing in the construction of a Buddhist temple under the system of the Vietnamese Buddhist Church on Co To island is building a cultural milestone, asserting sovereignty, contributing to strengthening security, politics and religion. border areas and islands.
To meet that expectation, in 2015, the project to build a Buddhist temple in Co To island district was approved by the People's Committee of Quang Ninh province and assigned to the People's Committee of Co To district as the investor in the site clearance phase. The construction phase is invested by the Executive Board of the Vietnam Buddhist Sangha in Quang Ninh province with the capital of socialization, calling for the merits of Buddhists, people and benefactors at home and abroad. The total project cost is 104 billion VND.
Truc Lam Co To Pagoda, named after Truc Lam Buddhist system founded by King - Buddha Emperor Tran Nhan Tong. The temple was built in the TV hill area, next to the historical site of Dai Doi Ky Con temple with a total area of more than 2.5 hectares divided into subdivisions such as: Tam gate area
manor house, bell tower, khanh building, Tam Bao building, ancestral church, monk house, model church, guest house, and landscaped campus.
Phase 1 deploys the construction of Tam Bao building. The Tam Bao building of the pagoda has its back to the mountain, facing the sea, creating a solid feng shui position and a cool and pure space.
The Three Jewels Building was started on the 6th of February in the Year of the Monkey (2016). The pagoda is made of Lim wood material, with a floor area of 270 m2. The total volume of Lim wood of the Tam Bao is over 150m3 of gaseous wood. The architecture follows the traditional ancient pagoda style, the roof is curved and tiled, and the walls are built of solid bricks. The Wood part chisels with patterns and motifs of the Tran dynasty with bold architectural characteristics typical of the nation. Total investment in phase 1 is 12 billion VND.
On November 9, the year of the Rat, the Executive Board of the Vietnam Buddhist Sangha in Quang Ninh province held a ceremony to inaugurate the Three Jewels and appointed Venerable Thich Khai Tu as abbot.
I/ Regarding the interior of the temple, including:
1/ The system of worshiping statues is arranged in a traditional way in the Northern region. Material carved from monolithic jackfruit wood, painted with gold paint. Include:
- Level 1, In the top center are 3 Buddha images (representing 3 Buddhas in 3 timelines: past, present and future).
- The second level is the set of Amitabha Tam Ton (including: the middle is Amitabha Buddha; standing on both sides are Mr. Quan Am and Mr. Dai The Chi).
- Level 3: in the middle is Buddha Shakyamuni; Standing on both sides are two disciples: An Nan Venerable and Ma Ha Ca Diep Venerable.
- The fourth level is the standard Buddha.
- The 5th level is the Cuu Long court (in the middle of the court there is a statue of Buddha Shakyamuni born, surrounded by 9 dragons spraying water to bathe him).
- On the two sides, there are 2 Dharma Protectors (the right man looking at is the Dharma Protector encouraging good; on the left looking in is the Dharma Protector punishing evil).
- Outside, on the right hand side, you can see the altar to worship him
- Outside, on the left hand side, you can see the altar to worship Duc Thanh Hien.
- Next to it is the altar to worship the Bodhisattva Ksitigarbha.
2/ Hill fishing system
Made of solid wood, meticulously carved. Painted with golden lipstick is very splendid and dignified. The content of the parallel sentences is shown in the national language script (other temples in the mainland often use Chinese characters)....
II/ Other items
- The ancestral church worships the three Truc Lam ancestors, namely Buddha Emperor Tran Nhan Tong, the second Patriarch Phap Loa, and the false patriarch Huyen Quang. The Ancestral Church was built with 5 compartments to recover the governor. Material of Sen wood.
- Worshiping Mother Goddess: worshiping the three shrines of the Holy Mother, on the right is worshiping Saint Tran, on the left is the Son Trang court. The church is made of Sen wood and Dinh architecture, recovered from the birch, roofed with ancient comedy tiles.
- Quan Am Bodhisattva has a unique architecture, which is the highlight in the overall picture of the temple. When coming here, seeing the gentle face, facing the sea of the statue of Quan The Am also makes many people feel serene and peaceful; the statue's body is 8 meters high, the statue's pedestal is 4 meters high. The total height of the Guan Yin court is 12 meters, corresponding to the 12 vows of the Bodhisattva Guan Yin. statue made of natural granite; Downstairs there is an altar, inside worshiping the statue of Quan Am sitting on a lotus, the statue is cast in bronze, weighing about 300kg.
- In front of the pagoda, there are 2 stone dragons on the steps, chiseled motifs according to the Tran Dynasty.
- In front of the temple, there is a bell tower and an opening floor. This bronze bell weighs 1,000kg. Diameter of bell mouth 1.30m, height 2.25m. The content shown on the bell is written in the national language script. Bells are cast by workers in Nam Dinh province. Khanh Dong has a weight of 350kg.
Standing from the top of Truc Lam Co To Pagoda, you can see the entire vast sea and island scene perfectly; In the evening, if you look down from the temple gate, you can admire the light trails of the residential area, in the distance are the lights of the fishing train.