Possessing a simple architecture, not picky, superficial, but Phuoc Kien Pagoda still attracts many visitors to visit thanks to a strange lotus garden with “huge” foliage, “carrying” the whole person weighing 100kg.
Phuoc Kien Pagoda is located in Hoa Tan commune, Chau Thanh district, Dong Thap province. The pagoda is located close to Nha Man market, about 25km from the center of Can Tho city.
The pagoda was built with a simple architecture that is not sophisticated, including the entrance gate, the temple of Quan Am Buddha and the main hall. Although it does not possess a majestic and monumental design, this temple has a history of more than 150 years.
Phuoc Kien Pagoda was bombed during the war, so there are many bomb craters, the pagoda has been renovated into 2 lotus-growing lakes, creating a beautiful landscape. The small lake is in front of the entrance, the big lake is behind. Both areas are only planted with large-leaf lotus with unique shapes and sizes, often called silkworm lotus, king lotus.
Because of the special giant lotus species, the pagoda is also named King Lotus Temple or Lotus Leaf Pagoda.
It is known that this giant lotus species is a rare plant native to the Amazon region, South America. They appeared in Phuoc Kien pagoda pond since 1992. Due to the soil here, this lotus variety grows very well and exists to this day.
Large and thick lotus leaves. The leaf surface has many green veins and the lower surface is full of reddish-brown spines. This feature helps plants adapt to the environment, avoiding the attack of aquatic animals.
In particular, the king lotus variety can change its leaf size amazingly depending on the water season. In the dry season, small lotus leaves are only about 1 – 1.5m. In the flooding season, the leaves are flooded, so they grow more, reaching 2.5m in diameter. There are individual trees, leaves more than 3m wide.
The edge of the lotus leaf is 3 – 5cm higher than the water surface, and its shape resembles a sports hat. Thanks to its large size, this lotus species can “carry” an adult weighing about 70-80kg but only lightly scratch the water surface.
Despite possessing large leaves, this lotus has very small flowers. Flowers like lilies but more layers of petals. When flowers are white, gradually change to pink and then dark purple at the end of the day.
Visitors to the pagoda can enjoy standing on giant lotus foliage and taking pictures. Inside the lotus leaf is placed a circular aluminum plate.
Local people will bridge small wooden bridges to assist guests to safely step onto lotus leaves without tearing the leaves. The price for each photo shoot on a lotus leaf is 20,000 VND.
Not only taking pictures, many people also meditate on lotus leaves, recording impressive “hovering” moments on the water. Follow Dân trí