With a very unique architecture, along with the preservation of many national cultural and historical values, Minh Thanh Pagoda is not only the pride of the people of the mountain town, but also a unique spiritual tourist destination. can be ignored when coming to Gia Lai land.
Coming to Minh Thanh pagoda on a beautiful day, sitting on the stone steps, listening to the sound of the temple bells ringing, the sound of knocking on the chanting of the chanting, the fragrant scent of the wind, you will find your heart peaceful and peaceful and.
1. About Minh Thanh Pagoda – the most beautiful temple in Gia Lai province
Minh Thanh Pagoda is located at 348 Nguyen Viet Xuan Street, Hoi Phu Ward, Pleiku City, Gia Lai Province, less than 2 kilometers from the center of Pleiku city. The pagoda is located on a gentle hill, surrounded in the mist of the mountain town.
The pagoda was built by Venerable Thich Giac Dao in 1964, up to now it is 55 years old. Experiencing the fluctuations of a heroic historical period, the pagoda was somewhat damaged, until 1997 thanks to the efforts of the abbot and offerings from the cross, the temple was rebuilt, as well as built some more new submission. And now, Minh Thanh pagoda has put on a very unique new appearance, with the architectural style bearing the beauty of the Orient, the harmony between the architecture of the Ly, Tran and Japanese architecture. China.
Minh Thanh Pagoda is a work bearing national identity, preserving unique cultural values, including spiritual cultural features and the preservation and propagation of extremely valuable ancient architectural techniques. of the nation is gradually disappearing over time.
Main gate of Minh Thanh Pagoda (Photo courtesy of Vu Van Tuyen)
Currently, Minh Thanh pagoda is ruled by Venerable Thich Tam Man. Venerable Venerable has studied abroad in Taiwan for a long time, and he is also the first Vietnamese monk to graduate with a master’s degree in Buddhist art, architecture and Buddhist art. Therefore, when deciding to rebuild the pagoda, he applied his knowledge and research to contribute to creating the unique beauty of Minh Thanh pagoda today.
The total area of the population of Minh Thanh pagoda, which is 20 thousand square meters, is not only a place for local Buddhists in the region but also attracts many devout Buddhists from all over the world. Entering the temple gate, you will immediately feel the serene beauty, peace, all troubles like leaving behind, leaving only here the sound of chanting and tinkling wind chimes purifying the soul.
2. The unique beauty of Minh Thanh Pagoda
Minh Thanh Pagoda becomes a spiritual tourist destination that many people visit when traveling to Gia Lai . And when mentioning Minh Thanh Pagoda , people immediately remember a temple with a very special architecture. It is an ingenious combination between Vietnamese ancient temple architecture and Japanese temple architecture.
When you arrive at the temple, from a distance, you will see a 9-storey high relic stupa standing majestically imprinted on the blue sky. The stupa is 72 meters high, inside, there are four Thien Thu Thien eyed figures, which are meticulously carved in detail. The stupa is painted with gold lipstick, extremely striking and eye-catching from a distance, and this is one of the tallest structures of Pleiku city. The unique feature of the relic tower is built in the style of Japanese architecture, with a distinctly curved roof.
The majestic 9-storey relic stupa stands in the blue sky (Photo courtesy of Vu Van Tuyen)
Entering the pagoda, you will see a statue of the Buddha of Quan Yin placed in the center of the door, an expression showing from a kind mother like a gentle mother welcoming the child back from afar.
The gentle statue of Quan Yin Buddha from kindness (Photo source: Vu Van Tuyen)
Populations Pagoda Minh Thanh was built in shape mandala, which means a circle symbolize the lotus flower in full bloom, this is the fundamental Tantric cosmology.
The temple campus is very wide, the whole is a green color of nature and trees, combined with stone statues, delicate carved wood materials, bringing a pure, majestic but no less close, peaceful scene. yen.
The scenery of Minh Thanh Pagoda is both pure, majestic, close, peaceful (Photo source: Internet)
In front of the main hall are the stone statues carved in the shape of 18 arhat. The two sides are the architectural works such as the ward monk zone, the street clusters, lecture halls, meditation halls and the Buddhist scriptures. The relic stupa will be located on the right side of the main hall.
Stone statues are carved in the shape of 18 arhat in front of the main hall (Photo courtesy of Vu Van Tuyen)
The center is the main hall 16 meters high, the roof floor is roofed with precious Central Highlands pompano. Going deep into the Main Hall, you will be extremely overwhelmed to see so many Buddha statues arranged here. The most prominent is the statue of the Buddha, which is 6 meters high, weighs 16 tons, followed by the thousand-eyed Guan Yin Buddha statue, both left and right there is a statue of the Twelve Dependent Origins (12 great bodhisattvas). 3 meters. The back wall has carvings of the Buddha’s octave (88 Buddhas), the five directions of the Buddha, the bowl of kim cang …
The main two sides are the bell tower and Tu An tower with three floors of tiled roofs in the shape of dragon scales.
Bell Tower with roof tile roofs in a unique wide scale pattern (Photo courtesy of Vu Van Tuyen)
The space of the pagoda is filled with a very fresh natural green, trees are interspersed with small lakes, decorated in harmony with sophistication, on clear blue days, the lake surface is silhouetted with beautiful things. . The willow rows drifting silhouettes down the lake surface, swaying in the wind. The winding paths between two rows of shady trees, the walls of creeping trees.
The paths are shaded with green trees and green vines (photo source: Vu Van Tuyen)
Despite being restored on a large scale, the most unique feature that Minh Thanh Pagoda still retains is its ancient beauty, the Buddha statues with mossy stone pillars, marking the time.
All of them bring a beauty that is both pure and majestic at the same time for the population of Minh Thanh pagoda . And surely when coming to the temple for the first time, visitors will be amazed at this unique beauty.
3. Minh Thanh Pagoda – the place to find peace and deposition
If you have the opportunity to travel to Gia Lai , remember to visit Minh Thanh Pagoda . I usually like to visit the temple on weekdays, because on Tet holidays or the full moon and the first day, there are usually a lot of Buddhists, everyday days are quieter and quieter.
Enter the main hall from the temple gate, walk slowly under the trees, listen to the sound of the temple bells and the scent of incense spreads in the space, making you feel like you are lost in a fairyland. On rainy days, foggy and cloudy on the top of the mountain, Minh Thanh pagoda hides a dreamy beauty in the middle of Pleiku mountain city. Bright golden summer days, green trees, birds chirping, bringing joy to Buddhists who go to offer incense.
Minh Thanh Pagoda – the place to find peace and deposition in the soul (Photo source: Vu Van Tuyen)
Sitting on the stone platform, watching the blue sky, the trees, leaving behind the troublesome and messy days of daily life, you will find peace in your heart, see your soul as settling, so much fatigue, tension suddenly vanished.