SOC TRANG – The Khmer pagoda with a giant reclining Buddha is a favorite destination for tourists and photographers.
Bôtum Vong Sa Som Rong is often called Som Rong Pagoda, at 367, Ton Duc Thang Street, Ward 5, Soc Trang City. The pagoda dates back to about 1785, and was originally built with bamboo, wood and simple leaf roofing. Around the area, there are many Som Rong trees that reproduce and develop by themselves, so the temple took the name of the flower Som Rong species called Bôtum to name.
After that, the temple was restored many times and has the current architecture, including the Reclining Buddha, the main hall (right), Sala, the monastery and the distant stupa.
The main hall is the main place of worship for Buddha, the roof adjacent to the column is decorated with the image of goddess Keynor and Krud bird. The two sides of the entrance to the main hall are unicorns.
This is a set of photos “Moon rising on Som Rong pagoda” by Pham Huy Trung (Ho Chi Minh City) made in the evening of October 30 (September 14th of lunar calendar). He took pictures at sunset, on the occasion of going to Soc Trang to attend the ngo boat racing festival, the Oóc Om Boc festival of the Khmer people.
The picture above shows the corner of the Reclining Buddha looking towards the rising moon, on the Sala building and the stupa. The stupa is one of the places most tourists like to visit, with four directions and four representative paths of love, compassion, joy and discharge. Along the two sides of the path leading up to the stupa are decorated with Naga snake images and motifs of Khmer patterns. On the tower is a statue of Buddha Shakyamuni sitting in meditation.
Moon rises above Sala, the building was inaugurated on January 31, 2017, bringing a solemn look. This architecture is both traditional Khmer pagoda, combining modernity and unique color scheme, creating a unique highlight for Som Rong pagoda.
Sala’s function is not only a lecture hall, a place to receive guests in the traditional national festivals, but also a monk for monks in the temple. In Sala there is a Buddha altar, but simpler than the main hall. Visitors coming here will observe that on the inner walls there are murals depicting the life of Shakyamuni Buddha.
The highlight of the temple is the outdoor Nirvana Buddha statue measuring 63 m long, 22.5 m high and weighing 490 tons, one of the largest Reclining Buddha statues in Vietnam today. Due to being placed on a high pedestal along with the large statue of the statue, people can see this statue from hundreds of meters away.
The statue of Shakyamuni Buddha was started in October 2017, until now, the rough part, plastered and is in the process of finishing the painting and decoration.
Mr. Trung said that the first time he came to the temple, he was impressed with the Reclining Buddha with sharp lines, demonstrating the elaborate process of sculptural art.
The statue of Buddha lies fanciful in the sunset at nearly 6 pm. Like the Khmer temples in Soc Trang, Som Rong pagoda is associated with the cultural life, the daily life of the people, and the spirituality of the community.
“Every day many tourists come here to visit and take pictures. The reclining Buddha statue, when completed, will create a beautiful and harmonious shape with the temple, a famous place of worship, Buddhist beliefs and famous Soc Trang spiritual tourism, attracting tourists near and far “, Dai Duc Lam Binh Thanh, Deputy Abbot of Som Rong Pagoda, said.
vnexpress