Hanoi (VNA) – On the evening of March 10, 2025 (the 11th day of the second lunar month), the People’s Committee of Bac Giang City and the Vietnamese Buddhist Association of Bac Giang Province jointly held the opening ceremony of the Vinh Nghiem Temple Festival 2025 at Vinh Nghiem Temple in Tri An Commune, Bac Giang City, Bac Giang Province, and announced the Prime Minister’s decision to recognize the national treasure.
Leaders of Bac Giang Province, monks, elders, great masters, monks and nuns, Buddhists, as well as many people and tourists from all over the world attended the event.
On this occasion, Phan Van Tuan, Vice Chairman of the People’s Committee of Bac Giang Province, on behalf of the Prime Minister, issued a decision to the Executive Committee of the Vietnamese Buddhist Association of Bac Giang Province, leaders of Bac Giang City and representatives of Tri An Commune to recognize the statue of the Three Patriarchs of the Bamboo Grove at Vinh Nghiem Temple as a national treasure.
The statue of the Three Patriarchs of the Bamboo Grove was made in the 19th century and includes three statues: the first ancestor, Emperor Buddha Tran Nhan Tong, the second ancestor, Dharma Conch, and the third ancestor, Xuan Quang. Among them, the statue of the first ancestor, the Buddha Emperor Chen Renzong, is 0.85 meters high and weighs about 60 kilograms. It is carved as a whole. The Buddha Emperor Chen Renzong is sitting in meditation on a square wooden seat and wearing a nine-piece cassock. The statue has a well-proportioned body, regular facial features, a straight nose, slightly closed eyes, a smile at the corners of the mouth, large and drooping ears, and a shaved head. The statue is placed in a rectangular shrine.
The statues of the second ancestor, Faluo, and the third ancestor, Xuanguang, are 0.83-0.85 meters high and weigh about 65 kilograms. They are carved as a whole, including the statue and the base. The statue of the second ancestor, Faluo, presents the image of a monk, with a slender body, shaved head, regular facial features, a high nose, slender ears, and a kind expression; the statue is in a meditation posture, sitting cross-legged, with his hands on his thighs; wearing a Buddhist cassock with soft lines covering the whole body. The statue of the Third Patriarch Xuan Quang is carved on the base in an upright sitting posture, with sharp edges on the face, a high nose bridge and large ears; he sits cross-legged, with his left hand on his left thigh and a scroll in his right hand.
According to research experts, the statue of the Three Bamboo Patriarchs at Vinh Nghiem Temple is carved from a whole piece of teak, well preserved and not duplicated with any other statue. It is a unique original cultural relic, well preserved. This group of statues has a unique historical and cultural significance and is closely linked to the development history of Vinh Nghiem Temple – Vinh Nghiem Temple is a famous building during the Ly Tran period, closely related to the Bamboo Forest Buddhism founded by the Buddhist Emperor Tran Nhan Tong and the inheritance and development of the Second and Third Patriarchs until today. This is a famous work of art with aesthetic value, representing the style and trend of a historical period…
In view of its great value, on December 31, 2024, the Prime Minister signed Decision No. 1712/QĐ-TTg recognizing the statue of the Three Bamboo Patriarchs at Vinh Nghiem Temple (Bac Giang Province) as a national treasure.
In his speech, Dang Dinh Huan, Chairman of the People’s Committee of Bac Giang City, said that Vinh Nghiem Pagoda was built in the 11th century (during the reign of Ly Thai To). Vinh Nghiem Pagoda has a special status in the history of Buddhist culture and has become a place for high monks to practice. The most famous of them are the three great masters of Truc Lam Zen Buddhism – Jue Huang Tiao Yu Tran Nhan Tong, Master Fa Luo and Master Xuan Quang, who were ordained at Vinh Nghiem Pagoda and used it as the center of Buddhism in the Tran Dynasty to train monks, arrange monk positions and guide temples across the country.
Vinh Nghiem Pagoda is not only famous for its huge complex, tight structure and the standardization of ancient Vietnamese temples, but also for its exquisite and skillful carving values, which are fully reflected in the system of Buddha statues. Vinh Nghiem Pagoda is also famous for its woodblock printing, with a total of 3,050 engraved blocks, including 9 classics, carrying eternal and great value.
In view of its great historical, cultural and artistic value, Yongyan Temple has been listed as a national special historical site; Yongyan Temple woodblock printing has been recognized as a world documentary heritage in the Asia-Pacific region; and Yongyan Temple Festival has been included in the national intangible cultural heritage list by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism.
After the opening ceremony, guests and the public enjoyed an art program with the theme of “Yongyan Holy Land Shining”.
The Yongyan Temple Fair will last until March 13, during which many exciting activities will be held, such as: traditional temple rituals, tug-of-war competitions, putting competitions, special product displays, re-creation of rural cultural spaces (with 31 township booths), Buddhist scripture lectures, etc.
