Long Son Pagoda is located at 22 October 23rd Street, Phuong Son Ward, Nha Trang City. The strongest mark of Long Son Tu is the largest giant Buddha statue in Vietnam. There are many visitors who come to Long Son Nha Trang Pagoda to visit, admire, and wish for the best.
During your trip to Nha Trang, take the time to visit Long Son Pagoda, which is one of the most sacred and famous Nha Trang pagodas. Not only has beautiful landscapes, but Long Son Nha Trang Pagoda also has bold and deep Buddhist spiritual nuances, which is the foundation of Buddhist beliefs in Khanh Hoa province.
1. The ruins of Long Son Nha Trang Pagoda
Up to now, Long Son Nha Trang Pagoda has experienced five abbots: Venerable Thich Wuzhi (1886 – 1935), Venerable Thich Chanh Hoa (1936 – 1957), Venerable Thich Chi Tin (1957 – 2013), Venerable Thich Thien Binh (2013 – 2016) and Venerable Thich Minh Thong (2016 – present). Among them, the first person to build and establish this temple was Venerable Thich Wuzhi.
Long Son Pagoda has undergone 5 abbots since the beginning of construction (Image: Collect)
The time when Long Son Pagoda was built was around 1886. At that time, the pagoda was just a thatched house erected on the top of Trai Thuy Hill, and was called "Dang Long Tu".
In 1900, due to being knocked down after a heavy storm, the pagoda had to be moved to the foot of the mountain, also the current location, then renamed Long Son Tu.
In 1936, the temple was donated to Hoi An Nam Buddhism to serve as the headquarters of Khanh Hoa Province's Buddhist revival, in accordance with the will of Venerable Thich Wuzhi.
In 1938, the year of the XIV Bao Dai, the pagoda was granted the "Four Dragons Temple" by the king.
5 words "Hue tu Long Son temple" on the gate of Long Son pagoda (Photo: Collect)
Throughout its history, the pagoda has been restored several times and now possesses the leading architecture and landscape among pagodas in Nha Trang.
After more than 100 years of existence, Long Son Pagoda has become one of the extremely attractive tourist destinations in Nha Trang. There are thousands of visitors who come to the temple every year to visit, visit, admire and pray.
2. Admire the stately and unique architecture of Long Son Pagoda
About Long Son Pagoda, it is impossible to ignore the impressive stately architecture. Long Son Pagoda has a total area of more than 3000m2. The architecture of the temple is bold Asian with meticulous and impressive carvings.
Visitors as soon as they enter the temple will encounter stone towers, lamp posts, reliefs with sophisticated and sophisticated patterns. In addition, the exquisite architectural style shown on each roof of the temple.
Connecting the courtyard to the main hall area are two three-level steps. In between these two paths is a crockery mosaic engraved with the dragon's face and the word "Swastika".
Harmoniously combined with architecture, the campus is surrounded by green old trees, creating a fresh and airy atmosphere.
3. Itinerary to visit Long Son Khanh Hoa Pagoda
3.1. Visit the Main Hall of Long Son Pagoda
Long Son Pagoda has a main hall area of up to 1670m2 designed to be extremely airy. Inside the main hall, the Buddha statues are made of bronze with a height of 1.6m and a weight of 700kg.
In the center of the main hall is a statue of Shakyamuni Buddha preaching the teachings. On either side of the statue of Shakyamuni are the two bas-reliefs of the Bodhisattva Guan Yin and the Bodhisattva Of The Chi.
Currently, the main hall of the temple is also a place to perform ceremonies and hold ceremonies on the 1st or 15th day of the lunar calendar every month.
In front of the Main Hall are the altars of Shakyamuni Buddha, Maitreya Bodhisattva and Bodhisattva Yin Heavenly Eye (Thousand Eyes Thousand Hands). In addition, Long Son Pagoda currently owns a pair of record large candles in Vietnam weighing up to 900kg and 3.4m high. This pair of giant candles was made by Venerable Thich Hien Chon at An Phu Pagoda (HCMC).
3.2. Admire the statue of the Buddha who entered Nirvana
In the campus of Long Son Pagoda, there are 193 three-level steps leading to the top of the hill. Upon reaching the 44th level, visitors can admire the statue of the Buddha who entered Nirvana.
The statue is carved in granite with a length of 17m and a width of 5m. Behind the statue is a relief depicting 49 disciples converging together on the day of the Buddha's death.
3.3. Admire the Golden Body Buddha Statue
Going through the 193 steps of the three levels, you will reach the place where the Golden Buddha Statue is located. The statue has a record height of 24m, of which the statue is 14m high, the lotus tower is 7m high, and the diameter of the lotus is 10m long.
Nha Trang's Golden Body Buddha statue was started construction in 1964, and completed in 1965 by Buddhists of Long Son Pagoda together.
The special feature of this statue is that the composition is not in the style of posting (facing forward) like the usual Buddha statues, but is located 90 degrees horizontally along the main axis of the temple. Therefore, when visitors look from the temple gate to the top of the hill, they will see the face of the statue turned to the right.
The statue of Kim Body Buddha of Long Son Pagoda is meticulously sculpted, vividly showing the charisma and majesty of the Buddha. The Buddha's face had a magnetic expression on his face, with a slight smile on his face. Along with that, the folds of the Buddha's body are also depicted in the most realistic and natural way.
In addition, around the lotus, you can see reliefs embossed with portraits of 7 martyrs of the Dharma who burned their bodies to strongly protest the Ngo Dinh Diem government's demand for the elimination of Buddhism.
3.4. Admire the 1,500kg General Rose
Dai Hong Chung is the bell tower of Long Son Pagoda, located at about the 54th level. This is a gift offered to the temple by Buddhists in Hue in 2002.
This bell tower has a height of 2.2m and weighs up to 1.5 tons. Every time the bell of the Great Hong Chung rings, it makes people's hearts become deeper and makes the space at the Buddha's door become majestic and strangely peaceful.
