Tuong Long Tower, also known as Thap Pagoda or Do Son Tower, was built during the reign of King Ly Thanh Tong; The tower was rebuilt in 2007 and took 10 years to complete.
Tuong Long Tower is located on the top of Long Son mountain, 95.2 m above sea level. This is the first mountain in 9 mountains running along the Do Son peninsula.
According to researchers, Tuong Long Tower was built in 1058, during the reign of King Ly Thanh Tong. Legend has it that the tower is a place where “mountains and water accumulate”, thus capturing the sacred energy of heaven and earth.
Today’s Tuong Long Tower is built on the foundation of a tower built in the 11th century. The project was built in 2007 and took 10 years to complete. This is a work commemorating one thousand years of Thang Long – Hanoi.
The tower was built on a land area of about 2,000 square meters, located in Van Son ward, Do Son district.
The tower consists of 9 floors, 37.14m high. The square base of the tower has 4 ways up and down, inside is a statue of Amitabha sitting on a stone lotus.
According to the book “Dai Viet History”, in the year Mau Tuat 1058, King Ly Thanh Tong, after traveling across Ba Lo beach, stopped here to build a tower. Later, he dreamed of a golden dragon and gave the tower the name Tuong Long, meaning “seeing a golden dragon appear” to remember the good omen.
According to Dai Nam Nhat Thong Chi, Tuong Long tower was considered the tallest tower among architectural works at that time. In addition to religious purposes, Tuong Long Tower also has the role of protecting the safety of the country, because this is an observatory that protects the northeastern border of the country.
Through the remaining relics, archaeologists said that Tuong Long tower was built at the same time as Bao Thien tower in Thang Long capital. Along with Long Doi Pagoda (Duy Tien – Ha Nam), One Pillar Pagoda, Bao Thien Tower, Thang Nghiem Pagoda, Chan Giao… (Hanoi), Chuong Son Tower (Y Yen – Nam Dinh), Tuong Long Tower are listed as a “great landmark” of the Ly Dynasty.
The inside of the tower is hollow and is where the Amitabha Buddha statue is placed. This is a monolithic jade statue built like the Amitabha Buddha statue at Phat Tich Pagoda (Bac Ninh).
In the Tuong Long pagoda complex, there are front halls, main halls, back halls… all quite large, with ancient and majestic architecture.
The highlight of the complex is the “Thien Truc Golden Pagoda” which is plated with gold inside. This is a spiritual work with Buddhist culture connecting tradition and modernity.
Tuong Long pagoda relic complex includes Tuong Long tower, archaeological pit shelter and Tuong Long pagoda complex. Among them, Tuong Long Tower is recognized by Hai Phong City People’s Committee as a tourist destination. From the pagoda campus, visitors can enjoy a panoramic view of Do Son district and the vast coastline.
Next to Tuong Long tower is a two-story archaeological pit shelter, which stores many extremely valuable artifacts with details, materials, patterns… made from wood, stone, tiles, and bricks of the Ly Dynasty. In 1978, the Tuong Long tower relic was officially excavated for the first time by Vietnamese archaeologists to comprehensively research this unique tower.
As a result of the excavation, archaeologists found the tower’s foundation was built in a three-level jerky style, with a square foundation and a hollow heart. The bottom level has the widest side of 7.96m, the middle level is 7.36m long, and the top level has a long side of 6.92m.
The tower bricks were found to have concave holes, moderate depth, rectangular frame, embossed with two lines of Chinese characters indicating the date of the tower’s construction: “The third emperor of Ly family, the fourth year of creation of Long Thuy Thai Binh”. Translation: during the reign of the third king of the Ly dynasty, the reign name Long Thuy Thai Binh, this brick was made, which also means this project was made.
This place attracts a large number of domestic and foreign tourists, especially in the early spring of the new year. Visitors can combine a trip to Tuong Long tower with a visit to Do Son beach, admiring Hang pagoda, Ba De temple…
Photo,Video: Internet (Vinlove.net)