Quan Su Pagoda, Hanoi

Very close to Hoa Lo prison is the Quan Su Pagoda. It is easily recognizable with its yellow and red tiled roof. Also known as the Truc Lam Quan Su, it is one of the oldest temples in Hanoi.

History:

During the Le Dynasty in the 15th century, Champa kingdom and Laos sent their ambassadors to pay respects to Dai Viet, that is the Le Dynasty. Emperor Le Thanh Tong got the place constructed where these ambassadors could stay. The temple at this time was known by its earlier name, Truc Lam Quan Su.

A temple was also built where they could all pray during their period of stay. This pagoda is the Quan Su pagoda with Buddha as the main deity.

At the end of Le Dynasty, when many pagoda were burnt down, this pagoda somehow managed to save itself.

In the 17th century, it was converted into a military warehouse, storing ammunition and weapons. The pagoda started to be called "Quan Su" meaning the "military mandarin".

It underwent lot of renovations and was finally opened to public in 1822. It became important due to its miraculous powers of being unhurt.

In 1934, the Vietnamese Buddhist Association of Northern region was established and Quan Su Pagoda was made the headquarters.

In 1942, the pagoda had a major renovation for its designs.

 

Architecture of temple:

main gate to temple

The main entrance to temple is through a wooden triple-arched gate which is not open to visitors. In the middle is the bell floor where hangs a big bronze bell.

There is a small entrance on the side. The red roof is slanting with a red tiles. The corners arch upwards.

The architecture is a blend of Vietnamese and Chinese.

entrance to temple

With bonsai trees on sides, 11 steps lead to inside of temple

 

 sides of stairs leading to main prayer hall

praying in front of pagoda

Roof of pagoda is decorated with a moon surrounded by flaming .....

main altar

The inside of temple is painted in red and gold symbolizing prosperity, happiness and good fortune. There are large gold plated images in the altar.

There are three tiers of the placement of images in the main altar.

• Topmost tier: has images of three times Buddha, of the past, present and future represented by Dipankar (Buddha of the past), Shakyamuni (of present) and Maitreya (Buddha of future)
• The bronze image is said to date back to 17th century.
  

• Below this tier, is a huge image of Amitabha Buddha flanked by Avalokiteshwar Boddhisatva (Guanyin) and Mahasthamaprapta Boddhisattva. Mahasthamaprapta is one of the oldest boddhisattavas

• Below the central tier sits Shakyamuni Buddha flanked by Ananda and Mahakasyapa.Bell on the right of temple

On the right side of main hall, the altar has a golden image of Monk Ly Quoc Su.

He is also known as Zen Master Nguyen Minh Khong. His name was Nguyen Chi Thanh and lived in the Ly Dynasty(10th-12th century)

The right side of hall is to worship Guan Yin

offerings

In front of Guan Yin is a drum

votive paper burning furnace

inside view of main gate

bell on top of main gate

information of temple

Library, monk's quarter next to main prayer hall

The courtyard around the main hall is library, monk's quarters, a reception hall, book stall, souvenir shop

The library here is said to have largest and invaluable collection of Buddhist scriptures and documents which are used in Buddhist ceremonies and rituals.

souvenir shop

hall for holding conventions

books for sale

Annual Lantern festival:

Annual lantern festival is celebrated every year on 15th day of the Lunar New Year. The temple is decorated with plenty of lanterns.

Timings:

The pagoda opens daily from 7:30 to 11:30 AM and from 1:30 to 5:30 PM

Thean Hou Temple, Kuala Lumpur

The Thean Hou temple is a six-tiered Chinese temple. It is dedicated to Goddess Mazu, The Chinese sea goddess.

The temple, also known as the Temple of the Goddess of Heaven, is a relatively modern structure. Its construction began in the 1980s by the Malaysian Hainanese community and was completed in 1987. The temple was officially opened on 3rd September 1989.

Situated on a hilltop southwest of Kuala Lumpur, the temple offers a spectacular panoramic view of the city below.

Guan Yin at entrance

going up to the main altar

The shrine is on second floor so you need to climb the stairs

 shrine

Rows of lanterns and lights at the entrance enhance the beauty of the temple, especially after dusk.

The Hainanese community, traditionally fishermen, built this temple in gratitude to Mazu, also known as Thean Hou, the Goddess of Heaven. Revered as the protector of sailors and fishermen, Mazu is believed to safeguard those who venture out to sea.

 

The top of roof has a flaming moon flanked by two dragons.  The temple ridge roof is decorated with dragon and dragon-phoenix and swallow-tail (on extreme left below).

Huge incense burner with dragons on sides is in front of shrine.

The temple is a mix of Buddhism, Confucianism and Taoism.

 

The pillars:

Four pillars stand outside the shrine. The pillars made from cement are 15 inches in height.

Dragons encircle the columns, soaring up

Temple guardians:

The entrance to the shrine is guarded by two guardians--- Qin Shubao and Yuchi Gong.

According to legend, when King Taizong of the Tang Dynasty ascended the throne, he was disturbed by cries of ghosts outside his chamber. The two generals volunteered to stand guard so that the king could sleep peacefully.

After the king rested well, he honored the generals by pasting their images at the entrance to his chamber. Over time, this practice became widespread, and Qin Shubao and Yuchi Gong were revered as door deities, protecting temples and homes from evil spirits.

Qin Shubao, on the right side of entrance

Yuchi Gong on the left of entrance

Prayer Hall:

The prayer hall has three altars. Each is dedicated to a different deity.

In the center is Mazu, Thean Hou Niang Niang, the Goddess of Sea. On the right is Shui Wei Sheng Niang, the Goddess of Waterfront. On the left is Guan Yin, the Goddess of Mercy.

Thean  Hou or Mazu or the Goddess of the Sea

On looking carefully, one can see small Buddha images in small niches on the wall behind each image. The deity has been worshipped since a long time

Shui Wei Sheng Niang, Goddess of the Waterfront

Shui Wei Sheng Niang is a Hainan goddess who is worshiped by people living close to waterfront. She is worshiped along with Mazu.

Guan Yin, Goddess of Mercy

 Guan Yin represents compassion or mercy. There is another image of Guan Yin at entrance near the water fall.

Kau Chim oracles

Fortune-telling sticks (Qian):
The temple houses 78 fortune-telling sticks, used to seek guidance by asking questions. After placing a donation in the donation box, visitors shuffle the sticks, known as qian, and return them to the container.

The stick that protrudes the highest is then selected. Each stick bears a number, and surrounding the container are multiple drawers corresponding to these numbers. The drawer matching the chosen stick contains the written fortune, providing the answer or guidance for the visitor’s question.decorated doors and the walls with images of Buddha

Caisson ceiling:

In the center of Thean Hou hall, is an ornamental canopy. This type of decoration is called a caisson ceiling. It is an ancient complex decorative technique of Chinese architecture. They can be made in any shape: round, oval, square, rectangle.

In this temple, there is a round and a rectangle caisson ceiling.

round type of caisson ceiling

The diameter of the caisson is 18 feet. 

In the center is a coiled dragon.

All rings outside the dragon ring have 24 lamps.

The subsequent 4 circles with lamp holders keep growing bigger and bigger. In all, there are 96 lotus lamps.

The last outermost circle has 24 archaic lions with one Mazu figure in between them.

In total there are 120 Mazu golden figurines in the round caisson ceiling.

rectangular caisson ceiling

Here, in center are five circles with a dragon and phoenix. The grid is made of 15 x 5 strips.

The sides have 16 archaic lions on one side and 6 lions on the width side. In between two lions is a lamp with one Mazu figurine.

On the side between the lions, are 18 Mazu figurines.

This way there are a total of 32 lamps and 50 Mazu figures in the rectangular caisson ceiling.

All the Mazu figurines are covered in pure gold foils.

tower on the side

The area after this was closed for renovation so we couldn't go beyond this. I desperately wanted to visit the area. But, maybe better luck next time.

zodiac signs on the roof

This is a religious place so proper attire is expected from visitors. The passage behind leads to registration of marriage.

Yue Lao

Yue Lao is the god of marriage. Chinese couples come to this place to pray and for getting their marriage registered.

I would have loved to spend more time here. There is so much to see and appreciate, but because of lack of time, we rushed out.