Visiting Hồ Thiên Pagoda – Ancient Đông Triều Dating Back to the Trần Dynasty

1Overview of Hồ Thiên Pagoda – Đông Triều

Hồ Thiên Pagoda - Đông Triều (also known as Trù Phong Pagoda) was built by Pháp Loa in 1322 on Trù Phong Mountain. It was used as a place where eminent monks of the Trúc Lâm Zen sect studied after successfully completing their courses at Quỳnh Lâm Monastery. If you are planning to visit Hạ Long Bay, Ti Tốp Island, Thiên Cung Cave… you should set aside some time to stop by and explore this place.

Address: Bình Khê Ward (former Đông Triều City), Quảng Ninh Province

See also: A beginner’s guide to visiting Yên Tử Pagoda from A to Z when traveling to Hạ Long

2Getting there

Today, Hồ Thiên Pagoda - Đông Triều is located in Phú Ninh Village, Bình Khê Commune, Đông Triều Town, Quảng Ninh Province. The pagoda was built on Trù Phong Mountain in the Yên Tử range, between Long Động (also known as Lân Pagoda) and Ngọa Vân, with Quỳnh Lâm Pagoda in front, at an elevation of 500m - 800m above sea level. The north, east, and west sides are all surrounded by high mountains, while the south features undulating low hills. As a result, visitors can enjoy an expansive view of the winding Cầm River ahead, with truly poetic and majestic scenery. To find the specific route, visitors can refer to Google Maps below.

3Exploring Hồ Thiên Pagoda

3.1 A long history

According to legend, Hồ Thiên Pagoda - Đông Triều was built during the Trần Dynasty, and King Trần Nhân Tông once came here for a stroll after becoming a monk. Records in the Tam tổ thực lục, the stele at Quỳnh Lâm Pagoda, and especially the Viên Thông Stupa stele confirm that Hồ Thiên Hermitage was built by Pháp Loa. The traces of Hồ Thiên during the Trần Dynasty are mainly underground; investigations and research here have uncovered numerous artifacts from the Trần period, including bricks, tiles, and tower components...

The unearthed artifacts help confirm historical records that Hồ Thiên Pagoda - Đông Triều was built during the Trần Dynasty. They also indicate that under the Trần Dynasty, a terracotta tower with a hexagonal or octagonal ground plan was built. Investigations have also determined that, in addition to the pagoda, stupa garden, and stele house, Hồ Thiên had a large retreat built on the high mountain behind the pagoda, the highest of which was Hàm Long Hermitage.

According to legend, during the Trần Dynasty, after the eminent monks successfully completed their courses at Quỳnh Lâm Academy, they moved to Hồ Thiên to continue their studies. Each rock shelter served as a place of study for one monk. The remaining traces of the pagoda today are mainly structures from the Later Lê period. The architectural relics and traces still visible above ground were basically built and restored during the Vĩnh Hựu period. The structures newly built during this major restoration included the Main Pagoda, Monks’ Quarters, Patriarchs’ House, Stupa Garden, and Stele House.

3.2 Structures at Hồ Thiên Pagoda - Đông Triều

- Main pagoda area:

It was built on a fairly large site at an elevation of 580m above sea level; the main pagoda alone occupies a floor area of more than 700m2. The pagoda is shaped like the Chinese character 工 and consists of three connected structures: the Front Hall, Incense-Burning Hall, and Upper Sanctuary. The rectangular Front Hall is at the front and has 5 bays and 6 rows of columns; the central bay is 4.4m wide, while the two side bays are 3.9m wide. The Incense-Burning Hall lies between the Front Hall and Upper Sanctuary and covers 147m2. The Upper Sanctuary rests directly against the rocky mountainside, has a floor area of 202.5m2, and consists of 5 bays and 6 rows of columns, with 4 columns in each row.

- Stupa garden:

Located on the high mountain slope behind Hồ Thiên Pagoda - Đông Triều to the north, the site still contains traces of 6 stupas. One remains relatively intact, one had collapsed and has recently been rebuilt, and the rest have fallen into ruins. Two stone stupas, numbered 1 and 6, bear traces dating from the Trần Dynasty.

There are 4 stone-and-brick stupas, numbered 2 through 5. Their common feature is that stone was used for the foundations and pedestals, while the bodies and roofs were built entirely from various types of bricks, mostly rectangular bricks.

- Monks’ quarters:

This is where the monks and Buddhists live, carry out their daily activities, and study. The monks’ quarters cover approximately 400m2 and are located immediately east of the pagoda on relatively flat ground, about 1.5m lower than the pagoda platform. They face south, with the mountain behind them to the north.

- Patriarchs’ house:

Located north of the monks’ quarters at Hồ Thiên Pagoda - Đông Triều, it is about 6m higher than the monks’ quarters and connects to the stupa garden to the east. The grounds cover approximately 180m2 and retain traces of a rectangular architectural foundation measuring around 130m2. Alongside the architectural remains, experts also found numerous lotus-bud roof tiles dating from the Later Lê period. These tiles have low points, two widely opened sides, and no fastening hooks; they were made from ordinary clay and are reddish brown.

Two monolithic stone statues were also excavated here, each consisting of a body and pedestal. The first statue depicts a figure seated in meditation on a lotus pedestal, wearing a kasaya. A sash across the chest is fastened with a bow-shaped button, characteristic of the Trúc Lâm sect. The left hand holds prayer beads, the two hands are placed one over the other in the lap, and a swastika is carved in the center of the chest. The statue has lost its head and lotus pedestal and now measures only 32cm in height, with shoulders 23cm wide and knees 34cm wide.

The second statue depicts a figure seated in meditation, with the hands intertwined and the palms facing upward. It has lost its head, while the left hand and chest have been damaged. Based on the clothing patterns and meditative posture, the two statues can be identified as two of the three statues of the Trúc Lâm Patriarchs. Specifically, the second statue is the first patriarch, Trần Nhân Tông. Based on factors including the terrain, the characteristics of the relics and artifacts, and the statues discovered, it can be affirmed that this was the Patriarchs’ House, where the three Trúc Lâm Patriarchs were worshipped: Điều Ngự Phật Hoàng Trần Nhân Tông, Pháp Loa, and Huyền Quang.

- Stele house:

Located about 150m east of the central area, from 2005 – 2010 this was the main pagoda area and the place where the Hồ Thiên Pagoda - Đông Triều community carried out its activities. The stele house was built from green stone assembled from 6 slabs, each 1.97m high and 0.55m wide. Notably, each stone slab forming the rear wall bears a raised Sanskrit character inside a cross-shaped frame. Together, they form a mantra from Esoteric Buddhism known as the “Six-Syllable Great Bright Mantra,” pronounced OM MANI PADME HUM.

The appearance of the Esoteric Buddhist mantra in the stele house, together with the lotus pedestal carved with the Eight Trigrams and 28 constellations, demonstrates the blending of sects and the interaction among Buddhism, Taoism, and Confucianism in the 18th century. It also reflects the worldly engagement and adaptability of Trúc Lâm Zen.

- Meditation retreat area:

At Hồ Thiên Pagoda - Đông Triều, this is where monks meditate. Hồ Thiên Meditation Retreat was reserved for eminent monks practicing meditation. The retreat area is located on the mountain behind the pagoda, and 3 retreats (hermitages) have currently been identified. Hàm Long Hermitage is the highest and also the largest.

There are also 2 smaller retreats consisting of rock shelters, each with a rectangular stone placed beneath the shelter for meditation. At present, the abbot of Hồ Thiên Pagoda - Đông Triều also uses one of these two rock shelters as a place for his own practice.

It can be seen that Hồ Thiên Pagoda was once a major center of Trúc Lâm and a large pagoda-and-stupa architectural complex in its time. Alongside the familiar Yên Tử Pagoda in Quảng Ninh, visitors should come here at least once to fully appreciate its beauty and the cultural and architectural influences of the Trần Dynasty that remain.