Visitors climb three flights of stone steps cut into the hillside before reaching the pagoda courtyard. On the second terrace, right in front of the Three Jewels hall, ten gray stone figures are arranged in two facing rows comprising two lions, two elephants, two rhinoceroses, two buffaloes, and two horses, each crouching upon a lotus pedestal carved from a single block. Rising roughly waist-high, their stone surfaces are pitted by a thousand years of sun and rain.
Inside the upper sanctuary sits a stone statue of Amitābha Buddha (A Di Đà), carved in 1057. What makes this temple extraordinary is that both the row of mythical beasts outside and the statue inside belong to the Lý dynasty, forming the earliest surviving stratum of Buddhist stone sculpture in Đại Việt. Everything earlier survives only in stele inscriptions and oral tradition.
INames, Lạn Kha Mountain, and the Amitābha statue
Both the pagoda and the mountain bear multiple names, each recording a different layer of memory. The formal Sino-Vietnamese name carved on steles is Vạn Phúc Tự (Temple of Ten Thousand Blessings). The popular name Phật Tích means Trace of the Buddha and originally designated the locality itself. Meanwhile, the mountain is called Lạn Kha, meaning Rotted Axe Handle, as well as Tiên Du, meaning Realm of Immortals' Roaming, and Bát Vạn, meaning Eighty Thousand, a reference to the terracotta stupas once enshrined here.
The Buddha seated in the upper sanctuary is Amitābha (A Di Đà), whose Sanskrit name means Infinite Light, the presiding Buddha of the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss. According to Pure Land doctrine, practitioners who wholeheartedly recite his name are welcomed into that realm upon passing away. Because this path of practice is accessible to all, the fact that a Lý-dynasty monarch commissioned a monolithic stone Amitābha shows how deeply Pure Land devotion had taken root in Vietnam by the 11th century.
As for the row of mythical beasts, scholars read them through the Buddhist principle of universal deliverance of sentient beings (phổ độ chúng sinh), noting that all five animal species appear in Buddhist scriptures and that placing them crouching upon lotus pedestals before the sanctuary portrays all beings bowing before the Dharma, rather than acting as spirit-way guardians of a tomb.
The Amitābha statue is carved from monolithic green stone, dated to 1057 under King Lý Thánh Tông, and is recognized as the oldest dated stone Buddha statue in Vietnam. Published measurements vary slightly across sources, with the official monument dossier listing the statue body at 1.87 meters, several studies recording 1.86 meters, and total heights including the pedestal cited variously as 2.69 meters, 2.77 meters, or 2.87 meters. The library notes all three sets of figures rather than selecting one arbitrarily. The statue was recognized as a National Treasure in the first batch under Decision No. 1426/QĐ-TTg on 1 October 2012.
It should be noted plainly that the statue has undergone restoration. During wartime destruction in the late 1940s, the pagoda's timber halls were ruined, and the statue's head was severed from its torso and hidden for safekeeping by villagers while the body lay in the fields for a period. When reassembled, the head tilted slightly backward and the original lion-throne base was not reset in its exact original configuration. Anyone standing before the statue should be aware of that history.
The set of ten mythical beasts comprises five pairs of lions, elephants, rhinoceroses, buffaloes, and horses carved from sandstone, nearly all monolithic except for one buffalo pieced from two stones. Each beast measures roughly 1.2 meters high and 1.5 to 1.8 meters long, resting upon a lotus-carved stone plinth measuring 1.7 by 0.8 by 0.36 meters. The set was recognized as a National Treasure under Decision No. 2089/QĐ-TTg on 25 December 2017 (Batch 6).
Two immortal legends associated with this mountain are often conflated and deserve to be separated clearly. The first explains the name Lạn Kha, telling of the woodcutter Vương Chất, who climbed the mountain, came upon two fairy maidens playing chess, and sat watching while eating a peach stone they had set down, only to discover when the game ended that his wooden axe handle had rotted away and generations had passed in the valley below. The second is the tale of Từ Thức, a young mandarin who attended the pagoda's peony festival, saw a young woman detained for accidentally snapping a peony branch, and took off his brocade robe to redeem her fault, later discovering that she was the fairy maiden Giáng Hương, who welcomed him into the immortal realm.
Thus the name Lạn Kha comes from the tale of the rotted axe handle, while the story of Từ Thức belongs to the pagoda's peony festival, both belonging to literary and folk tradition rather than annalistic history. Together they gave rise to the district name Tiên Du, and the annual spring festival has kept the memory of Từ Thức alive to this day.
IIA thousand years on the mountain slope
Dating the pagoda's original foundation requires care. Local legend pushes its origin back to the early centuries CE, whereas the official monument dossier places the earliest foundation between the 7th and 10th centuries, and the year 1057 marks the historical milestone when King Lý Thánh Tông built the stupa and pagoda and commissioned the stone statue. Because these three accounts differ in nature, the library states all three while noting that 1057 is the earliest date corroborated by surviving physical artifacts.
- 7th to 10th centuryEarliest recorded temple layerThe official monument dossier places the initial temple foundation within this span, though no above-ground structural element survives from that era.
- 1057Lý Thánh Tông builds the stupa and statueIn the fourth year of the Long Thụy Thái Bình era, King Lý Thánh Tông erected a precious stupa on the mountain and commissioned the stone Amitābha statue, providing the earliest artifact-supported date at the site.
- 1071The character Buddha carved in stoneMonument records state that the king visited the mountain and had a colossal character for Buddha, measuring sixteen thước (roughly four meters), carved into the mountainside rock, a detail preserved only in textual records.
- 1129Eighty-four thousand terracotta stupasUnder King Lý Thần Tông, a vast number of miniature terracotta stupas, recorded in texts as eighty-four thousand, were enshrined here, giving the mountain the name Bát Vạn.
- 1279 to 1384Bảo Hoa Palace and Lạn Kha LibraryUnder King Trần Nhân Tông (1279 to 1280), Bảo Hoa Palace was built in this area. In 1370 King Trần Nghệ Tông established the Lạn Kha Library on the mountain, and in 1384 he held the imperial doctoral examination (Thái học sinh) here.
- 1635 to 1644Zen Master Chuyết ChuyếtZen Master Chuyết Chuyết, patriarch of the Lâm Tế lineage in northern Vietnam, practiced and taught here. His preserved body was enshrined at this pagoda, while his memorial stupa was erected at Bút Tháp Pagoda.
- 1686Grand restoration and stele erectionIn the seventh year of the Chính Hòa era under the Revival Lê, First Royal Consort Trần Thị Ngọc Am (consort of Lord Trịnh Tráng) sponsored a grand reconstruction, renaming the temple Vạn Phúc Đại Thiền Tự and erecting the stele Vạn Phúc đại thiền tự bi.
- 2014Special national heritage siteRanked as a National Monument on 28 April 1962 (Decision No. 313-VH/VP), the pagoda was elevated to a Special National Monument under Decision No. 2408/QĐ-TTg on 31 December 2014.
Between the Lý-dynasty stratum and the pagoda standing today lies a sharp rupture. Following wartime destruction in the late 1940s, the ancient timber halls were lost, and only in 1959 was a modest shrine rebuilt to shelter the stone statue. A major reconstruction began in 2008, during which an archaeological excavation directly beneath the main hall unearthed the square foundation (measuring roughly 8.5 meters per side) of the original 1057 Lý-dynasty stupa. Consequently, most of the buildings visitors see today are modern reconstructions, while the ancient heritage resides in the excavated stupa foundation and the surviving stone sculptures.
IIIThree terraces, the row of mythical beasts, and the stupa garden
Rather than spreading across flat ground, the pagoda is cut into the mountain slope in stepped terraces, each forming a stone-embanked courtyard. Sources count the terraces in two ways, with most studies describing three main terraces on the hillside, each roughly 58 to 60 meters long, while another account counts four levels by including the lowest entrance level with its ponds and well, listing the second terrace as 3.7 meters high and the third terrace as 58 meters long, 62 meters wide, and 5 meters high. Recorded widths also vary, with some sources citing roughly 33 meters. The library notes both reckonings.
Arranged in two facing rows on the second terrace right outside the Three Jewels entrance. Five pairs of lions, elephants, rhinoceroses, buffaloes, and horses crouch upon lotus pedestals carved from single blocks of sandstone, forming the only Lý-dynasty stone animal ensemble still standing at its temple site.
Enshrined in the upper sanctuary. Carved from monolithic green stone with a slender seated posture and parallel cascading robe folds upon a pedestal ornamented with lotus petals, waves, dragons, and fire clouds. Scholars note stylistic affinities with Indian, Tang, and Cham art, blended into a distinctly Vietnamese facial expression.
A funerary stupa compound for eminent monks, mostly erected in the 17th century. Sources list either 32 or 34 stupas, including 9 green-stone towers and 25 brick towers, highlighted by Phổ Quang Stupa rising 5.1 meters high to honor Zen Master Chuyết Chuyết.
At the foot of the mountain before the gate lie two ponds called the dragon's eyes (mắt rồng) and an ancient well called the dragon well (giếng rồng). Meanwhile, on the third terrace behind the row of stone beasts lies the rectangular Dragon Pond (Ao Rồng / Long Trì) lined with carved stone, matching the description on the 1686 stele.
Enshrined in the Patriarchs' Hall. This is one of the rare cases of a lacquered whole-body relic preserved in a Vietnamese temple, dated to approximately four hundred years ago when the master passed away in 1644.
A 27-meter stone statue (including its pedestal) erected on the mountain crest to mark the Millennial Anniversary of Thăng Long - Hanoi. It is a contemporary monument modeled on the ancient 1057 Amitābha statue at a vastly enlarged scale.
Many visitors climb to the summit, see the colossal 27-meter stone Buddha, and assume it is the thousand-year-old statue for which the pagoda is famous. It is not. The summit statue is a modern monument erected in recent years after the model of the ancient work. The authentic Lý-dynasty Amitābha statue is much smaller, its body rising less than two meters high, and sits inside the upper sanctuary down in the main courtyard. Though the two share the same posture, nearly a millennium separates them.
IVThe lie of the land and orientation
This section presents the library's reading through the lens of traditional geomancy, not statements recorded on temple steles or in monument dossiers. The library notes this clearly so readers can distinguish documentary record from interpretation.
What sets this site apart from most delta temples is that it has a real mountain at its back. Because the Kinh Bắc plain is almost entirely flat, a low mountain rising abruptly out of the rice fields is a rare landmark. In classical land-reading, that peak serves as the rear pillow (hậu chẩm), and the pagoda is set into its southern slope, resting its back against the crest while looking out across the plain. Classical manuals call this formation backed by mountain, facing water (tựa sơn hướng thủy), realized here in its literal sense rather than through a lowland substitute.
Cutting the hillside into three stepped terraces reveals how ancient builders handled steep terrain. On an unbroken slope, qi rushes downward and scatters, so it must be checked at intervals, with each stone-embanked terrace acting as a level landing. As a pilgrim climbs the stone stairs, each flight opens onto a flat courtyard, and in geomantic terms each courtyard acts as a pocket that gathers qi (tụ khí), culminating in the main sanctuary on the uppermost terrace.
The two dragon's eyes ponds and the dragon well at the lowest level also read coherently within this system. Where a mountain rises without a river directly at its foot, water must be excavated so that pools before the slope form a bright hall (minh đường), holding the qi descending from the hill rather than letting it spill out into the fields. Naming those water features after a dragon's eyes shows that traditional builders read the entire hill as a reclining dragon and placed the monastery upon the dragon's back.
Finally, the row of ten mythical beasts acts in geomantic terms not only as an iconographic offering, but also as a threshold barrier. Positioned in two facing lines across the second terrace right where every visitor must ascend, the ten heavy sandstone figures form an invisible gate marking the transition into the Buddha's sanctuary. In traditional domestic architecture, that role belongs to a masonry screen wall (bình phong), whereas here it is entrusted to ten crouching stone beasts.
VThe Peony-Viewing Festival
The pagoda festival opens right during the Lunar New Year, with its main day on the fourth day of the first lunar month and festivities spanning from the third to the fifth. Called the Peony-Viewing Festival (Hội Khán hoa mẫu đơn), it stands out among northern temple fairs because the occasion for gathering is tied to viewing a flower alongside the New Year Buddhist rites.
| Lunar date | Rite | Details |
|---|---|---|
| 3rd of the 1st month | Festival opening | Ritual cleansing of altar vessels, setting out vegetarian offerings, and opening the terraced courtyards to New Year pilgrims. |
| 4th of the 1st month | Main festival day (Chính hội) | The principal day of the festival, featuring incense offerings and sutra chanting for peace in the upper sanctuary, drawing large crowds from across the region. |
| 4th of the 1st month | Peony viewing (Khán hoa mẫu đơn) | The custom of admiring peony blossoms within the pagoda grounds, directly recalling the legend of Từ Thức meeting the fairy Giáng Hương. |
| 5th of the 1st month | Closing day (Rã hội) | Final day of the festival, with smaller-scale offerings and individual pilgrimage visits. |
| Throughout the festival | Folk games and Quan Họ singing | Quan Họ folk singing on boats and in the lower courtyard along with traditional village games, kept separate from the upper worship halls. |
Beyond the New Year festival, the pagoda is busy on the first and fifteenth days of each lunar month, on Buddha's Birthday, and during Vu Lan. The patriarchal memorial day is observed on the death anniversary of Zen Master Chuyết Chuyết in the Patriarchs' Hall where his preserved body is enshrined.
VILocation And How To Get There
- Address
- Sườn nam núi Phật Tích (núi Lạn Kha), xã Phật Tích (huyện Tiên Du cũ), tỉnh Bắc Ninh
- Getting there
- The pagoda sits on Lạn Kha Mountain in Phật Tích Commune (formerly part of Tiên Du District), Bắc Ninh Province, roughly twenty-five kilometers northeast of central Hanoi. Visitors on the same route can also stop at Tiêu Pagoda and the Đình Bảng area.
- Coordinates
- 21.0937, 106.0263
Visitors should dress modestly, remove hats when entering the upper sanctuary and Patriarchs' Hall, and speak quietly. Because the ten mythical beasts and the 1057 Amitābha statue are National Treasures carved from stone weathered over a millennium, please do not touch them, rub their heads, or sit on their pedestals. The three terraces are linked by high stone steps that can become slippery in the rain, so please use the handrails. Photography inside the upper sanctuary and Patriarchs' Hall depends on temple rules at the time, so please ask an attendant beforehand.
Nearby places in the library
VIIContribute To This Page
Contribute photos, information or video for Phat Tich Pagoda
Góp ảnh, thông tin hoặc video cho Chùa Phật TíchEveryone is welcome to enrich this page: a photo you took, a detail the page misses, a short video. Every contribution is read and answered.
Thầy Ưng Khiêm mời cộng đồng cùng làm giàu trang này. Ảnh chụp tận nơi, một chi tiết lịch sử chưa được nhắc, một đoạn video ngắn: mọi đóng góp đều được đọc và trả lời.
No community contribution yet. You could be the first. Chưa có đóng góp nào từ cộng đồng. Bạn có thể là người đầu tiên.
?Quick Questions
Who is worshipped at Phật Tích Pagoda?
The pagoda worships the Buddhas in the Northern Buddhist tradition, centered on the 1057 green-stone statue of Amitābha Buddha. Its Patriarchs' Hall honors Zen Master Chuyết Chuyết, the Lâm Tế Zen patriarch who taught here in the mid-17th century, and preserves his lacquered whole-body relic.
When was the stone Amitābha statue at Phật Tích Pagoda carved?
Carved in 1057 under King Lý Thánh Tông from monolithic green stone, it is recognized as Vietnam's oldest dated stone Buddha statue and was named a National Treasure in 2012. Sources list the statue body at 1.86 or 1.87 meters high, and 2.69, 2.77, or 2.87 meters including its pedestal.
What are the ten stone mythical beasts at Phật Tích Pagoda?
They are five pairs of animals comprising lions, elephants, rhinoceroses, buffaloes, and horses carved from sandstone during the Lý dynasty, crouching on lotus pedestals in two facing rows outside the Three Jewels hall. Each measures roughly 1.2 meters high and 1.5 to 1.8 meters long. The set was recognized as a National Treasure in 2017.
Why is the mountain at Phật Tích Pagoda called Lạn Kha Mountain?
Lạn Kha means Rotted Axe Handle, referring to the legend of the woodcutter Vương Chất, who watched two immortals play chess on the mountain until his axe handle rotted away and generations had passed below. The mountain is also called Tiên Du (Immortal's Roaming) and Bát Vạn (after the eighty-four thousand miniature terracotta stupas once placed here).
When does the Phật Tích Pagoda festival take place?
The Peony-Viewing Festival (Hội Khán hoa mẫu đơn) takes place during the Lunar New Year, with its main day on the fourth day of the first lunar month and events spanning from the third to the fifth. The custom of viewing peonies recalls the legend of Từ Thức meeting the fairy maiden Giáng Hương at the pagoda.